Introduction:
Perfumes and
fragrances are among the most widely used chemical
substances. Fragrances produce a pleasant odor for the
body, room, and consumer products. Historically
fragrances are extracted from flowers and herbs;
however, synthetic versions of many of such fragrances
are now being produced as well. Interestingly enough,
many of these fragrances are esters. |
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Esters are compounds formed by
a combining an alcohol and an acid. An esterification is a
reaction which achieves this. An example is the production of
methyl benzoate (Artificial flavor/ Essence of Niobe) from
methanol and benzoic acid.
Varieties of esters form the
ingredients of most artificial flavors, fragrances, and
perfumes.
Some esters can polymerize and
form plastic fibers and sheets. Plexiglas is among such
polymers.
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