Question

Which of the following compounds has sweet pleasant smell?
(A)Ester
(B)Ethanol
(C)Both A and B
(D)None of the above

Answer 1

We must know that ethanol has a mild odor like wine or whisky as it is an alcohol whereas esters have distinctive fruit like odors and many occur naturally in the essential oils of plants such as n-butyl acetate has apple odor and butyl butanoate has pineapple odor. Both of them have completely different but pleasant smells.

Complete step-by-step answer: Let us understand about esters and ethanol as follows:-
-Esters: It is a derivative of a carboxylic acid where the hydrogen atom of the hydroxyl group has been replaced with an alkyl group. These are produced by the reaction of alcohols with acids.
They occur widely in nature and unlike carboxylic acids; esters generally have sweet pleasant odors and are responsible for the characteristic fragrances of flowers and fruits.
-Ethanol: It is also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol which is a colorless liquid and has a wine-like smell. Ethanol is also a principal ingredient in alcoholic beverages like beer, wine or whisky. It is a colorless flammable liquid with a pleasant smell that is produced naturally from fermentation of plants by yeasts and other microorganisms and also can be produced through the hydration of ethylene.

Hence we come to the conclusion that the compounds with sweet pleasant smell are (C) Both A and B i.e., both ethanol and esters.

Note: -Practically, once a fruit or flower has been chemically analyzed, chemists attempt to duplicate the natural odor or taste and no doubt that both natural and synthetic esters smells equally good, hence are used in perfumes and as flavoring agents.
-Since ethyl alcohol can rapidly dissolve in water and other organic compounds, it is also used as an ingredient in a range of products, from sanitizers and beauty products to paints and varnishes to fuel.