Ethyl lactate is an amphiphilic bio-based solvent with beneficial safety characteristics and ecotoxicity profile. The miscibility of ethyl lactate with water allows adjustments of the medium properties using aqueous solutions of various concentrations to achieve the desired reaction outcome. This review discuses current applications of ethyl lactate and its aqueous solutions as media for organic synthesis. The effectiveness of these media has been demonstrated in several coupling reactions, olefin metathesis, carbonyl group reactions, heterocyclizations, various multicomponent reactions and other chemical transformations. These reactions often benefit from the application of non-conventional energy sources (microwave, ultrasound, and visible light irradiation). The reaction yields are typically comparable or higher than that obtained in conventional solvents.

乳酸乙酯是一种两亲生物基溶剂，具有有益的安全特性和生态毒性。乳酸乙酯与水的混溶性允许使用各种浓度的水溶液调节介质性能，以实现所需的反应结果。这篇综述讨论了乳酸乙酯及其水溶液作为有机合成介质的当前应用。这些介质的有效性已在几个偶联反应，烯烃复分解，羰基反应，杂环化，各种多组分反应和其他化学转化中得到证明。这些反应通常得益于非常规能源的应用（微波，超声和可见光辐照）。