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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