Ethyl benzoate, C₉H₁₀O₂, is the

ester In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ar ...

formed by the condensation of

benzoic acid Benzoic acid is a white (or colorless) solid organic compound with the formula , whose structure consists of a benzene ring () with a carboxyl () substituent. It is the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid. The name is derived from gum benzoin, wh ...

and

ethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl ...

. It is a colorless liquid that is almost insoluble in water, but miscible with most organic solvents. As with many volatile esters, ethyl benzoate has a pleasant odor described as sweet, wintergreen, fruity, medicinal, cherry and grape. It is a component of some fragrances and artificial fruit flavors.

Preparation

A simple and commonly used method for the preparation of ethyl benzoate in laboratory is the acidic esterification of

with

and

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...

as catalyst:Arthur Israel Vogel. Rev. by Brian S. Furniss: ''Vogel’s textbook of practical organic chemistry.'' 5. Auflage. Longman, Harlow 1989, , S. 1076 : Ethyl benzoate esterification

References

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External links

Material Safety Data Sheet
Ethyl esters Benzoate esters Perfume ingredients Flavors Sweet-smelling chemicals