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Esterification of Ethanoic Acid |
Uses of Esters Esters are often used in the manufacture of perfumes due to their sweet smell, though it is very rare that you see one listed on the contents at the back of the bottle - they invariably come under the 'perfume' listing and are often a key ingredient of the smell of the perfume. These types of perfumes can vary wildly - from body spray to 'perfumes for the home', things like air fresheners and that kind of thing. Esters can also be used as food flavorings, and are often found in sweets and ice creams. Phytosterol esters, also known as plant sterol esters, are naturally found in fruit and vegetables and consist of vegetable fatty acids. Research shows that eating foods containing Phytosterol esters can help lower cholesterol levels within the body Information on Phytosterol esters found at cargillhft.com. Esters can also be used as industrial solvents, e.g. in paint. Their volatility makes them ideal for this job. Too understand why we need to look into the nature of paint - paint is basically a hard 'pigment' inside a solvent, and when the paint is applied the solvent will slowly evaporate off, leaving behind the 'pigment' (often a transition metal ion, more information can be found in any good inorganic text book on these metals). Esters are also used as solvents in the pharmaceuticals industry, showing how widely they can be used for this task. |