Esters are sweet-smelling substances and are used in making perfumes. Suggest some activity and the reaction involved for the preparation of an ester with well labeled diagram.
Reaction Set up:
Take 1 mL ethanol (absolute alcohol) and 1 mL glacial acetic acid and few drops of concentrated sulphuric acid in a test tube.
Warm the test tube in a water-bath for at least five minutes.
Pour the contents of the test tube into a beaker containing 20-50 mL of water and smell the resulting mixture.
Sweet smell confirms presence of an ester.
Reaction mixture:
Ethanoic acid + Alcohol in presence of concentrated Sulphuric Acid
Reaction:
Conformation Test for ester formation is sweet smell.