Esters

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  • Created by: Jess
  • Created on: 18-05-13 13:51

Esters

Esters have the functional group -COO

1) Esters are formed from an alcohol and a carboxylic acid

2) An acid catalyst is used ( e.g. sulfuric acid)

Acohol + carbocylic acid -> ester + water

Their names end in '-oate'. The alcohol forms the first part of the ester's name, and the acid forms the second part. e.g:

ethanol + ethanoic acid -> ethyl ethanoate + water

Esters smell nice but don't mix well with water

1) Many esters have pleasant smells- often quite sweet and fruity. They're also volatile. This makes them ideal for pefumes ( the evaporated molecules can be detected by smell receptors in the nose).

2) However, many esters are flammable (or even highly flammable). So their volatility also…

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