There are five uses for esters. The most common uses of esters are in artificial scents or perfumes, and as artificial flavorings for sweets, ice-creams and soft drinks.
Industrial uses of esters include esters being used as solvents in the manufacture of fats, cellulose, varnishes and paints; as solvents within pharmaceutical industries and as softeners or plasticizers in plastic and molding industries.
Most commonly, this is done using carboxylic acids and a variety of alcohols. In other words, esters are created by condensing a particular acid with a suitable alcohol.
Phosphodiesters are the backbone of the helical strands in DNA molecules. So-called nitrate esters, like nitroglycerin, for example, are well known for their inherent explosive properties. Polyesters are plastics of importance, with monomers linked by ester moieties.
Monomers are atoms or small molecules able to bond chemically with other monomers in order to form polymers. The term moiety is often used to mean functional group.
According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, or IUPAC definition, however, moieties are actually parts of molecules that may contain functional groups as internal substructures.
For instance, an ester is described as a functional group that is composed of an acyl moiety and an alcohol moiety. It may also be divided into alkyl and carboxylate moieties.
Industrial uses of esters include esters being used as solvents in the manufacture of fats, cellulose, varnishes and paints; as solvents within pharmaceutical industries and as softeners or plasticizers in plastic and molding industries.
- What are Esters?
Most commonly, this is done using carboxylic acids and a variety of alcohols. In other words, esters are created by condensing a particular acid with a suitable alcohol.
- Types of Esters
Phosphodiesters are the backbone of the helical strands in DNA molecules. So-called nitrate esters, like nitroglycerin, for example, are well known for their inherent explosive properties. Polyesters are plastics of importance, with monomers linked by ester moieties.
Monomers are atoms or small molecules able to bond chemically with other monomers in order to form polymers. The term moiety is often used to mean functional group.
According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, or IUPAC definition, however, moieties are actually parts of molecules that may contain functional groups as internal substructures.
For instance, an ester is described as a functional group that is composed of an acyl moiety and an alcohol moiety. It may also be divided into alkyl and carboxylate moieties.
