Lab 14: Create a Smell Lab: Ester Synthesis

Lab 14: Create a Smell Lab: Ester Synthesis

During this lab, we learned how a molecule can be changed into a different molecule using chemistry. We created different smells with acids like salicylic acid, acetic acid and sulfuric acid. Along with the acid's there were also alcohols that we used including isopentyl alcohol and methyl alcohol. We transformed the smells into esters by mixing certain alcohols with acids to create an initial smell and when put into the hot water it changed into an ester.

1. The odors of the first mixture before heating was a sharp, sour candy with a medicinal smell and after heating it was a sweeter smell of banana laffy taffy's with a hint of a nail polish smell. The odors of the second mixture before heating was a smelly vinegar and after heating it was an intense nail remover smell. The odors of the third mixture was a sweet/sour, sour patch kids candy smell and after heating it smelled like minty, wint o green lifesavers. They are different in the way that the smell became more of a sweet fragrant and less of a sour one.

2. The functional group that must be present in the final molecules that were produced was the ester functional group.

3. The new compounds were easily identified as a specific fragrance with "I" being a banana laffy taffy smell and nail polish, "E" being a strong scent of nail polish and "M" being a wint o green lifesaver mint. Compared to the natural fragrance, it was a much stronger scent due to the components that made up the ester. 

Challenge Question: Making Sense!!