Valentina Gutierrez December 17, 2013 Chemistry Liz Schibuk

Ester Synthesis Lab

Purpose
The purpose of this lab is to learn the process by which food chemists synthesize artificial flavor.

Introduction
Many believe that everything organic is a result of reactions that happen strictly in nature, however, organic reactions can also take place in a lab. Organic chemistry is the study of organic compounds, or compounds made up of hydrocarbons (a combination of carbon and hydrogen molecules). Because of the misconception connected to synthetic and natural products, people are led to believe that natural often means better. However, this is simply not always the case. The only difference between natural and synthetic chemicals is their place of origin. Natural chemicals come straight from nature and are not tampered with. While synthetic chemicals are often produced in a lab, using the same or similar ingredients in natural chemistry, but usually without the negative side effects (because yes, natural can also be very dangerous). An example of organic chemistry that can be produced in a lab is ester synthesis. An ester (as well as alcohol and carboxylic acids) is a functional group, which is an atom or a group of atoms that are added to hydrocarbons and commonly give specific properties. One of those properties is scent. Ester has the special property of having a sweet scent. Moreover, food scientists use functional groups to produce artificial flavoring.

In ester synthesis, two functional groups come together: an alcohol and a carboxylic acid,

to create an ester. In this case, alcohol and the carboxylic acid are the reactants in the chemical reaction. The molecules float around until they come into contact and are gathered with a catalyst, which is a molecule that speeds up the process by lowering the activation energy, which is the energy that is needed to break down the bonds in the reactants and kick start the reaction. In the case of ester synthesis, the catalyst is sulfuric acid and heat. After the transition phase in the activated complex, the products (ester and water) are created. The reaction is considered exothermic if the product has less heat energy than the reactants started off with. However, the reaction can be considered endothermic if the product has more heat energy than the reactants began with.

Alcohol+Carboxylic Acid

Ester+Water

Procedure
Wintergreen: 1. Add 6 drops of methyl alcohol to the test tube that has salicylic acid pre-measured. 2. Gently agitate the mixture. 3. Add 1 drop of concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). 4. Gently agitate the mixture. 5. Place the test tube in a beaker of hot water for 3 minutes. 6. Add 15 drops of water. 7. Carefully smell the mixture, and record the smell.

Grape: 1. Add 6 drops of methyl alcohol to the test tube that has anthranilic acid pre-measured. 2. Gently agitate the mixture. 3. Add 1 drop of concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). 4. Gently agitate the mixture.

5. Place the test tube in a beaker of hot water for 3 minutes. 6. Add 15 drops of water. 7. Carefully smell the mixture, and record the smell.

Pear: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Add 6 drops of n-propyl alcohol to a clean test tube. Add 2 drops of glacial acetic acid. Gently agitate the mixture. Add 1 drop of concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Gently agitate the mixture. Place the test tube in a beaker of hot water for 3 minutes. Add 20 drops of water. Carefully smell the mixture, and record the smell.

Banana: 1. Add 6 drops of isoamyl alcohol to a clean test tube. 2. Add 2 drops of glacial acetic acid. 3. Gently agitate the mixture. 4. Add 1 drop of concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). 5. Gently agitate the mixture. 6. Place the test tube in a beaker of hot water for 3 minutes. 7. Add 20 drops of water. 8. Carefully smell the mixture, and record the smell. Orange: 1. Add 6 drops of octyl alcohol to a clean test tube. 2. Add 2 drops of glacial acetic acid. 3. Gently agitate the mixture. 4. Add 1 drop of concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). 5. Gently agitate the mixture. 6. Place the test tube in a beaker of hot water for 3 minutes. 7. Add 20 drops of water. 8. Carefully smell the mixture, and record the smell.

Pineapple: 1. Add 6 drops of n-butyl alcohol to a clean test tube. 2. Add 2 drops of butyric acid. 3. Gently agitate the mixture. 4. Add 1 drop of concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). 5. Gently agitate the mixture.

6. Place the test tube in a beaker of hot water for 3 minutes. 7. Add 20 drops of water. 8. Carefully smell the mixture, and record the smell.

Strawberry: 1. This reaction must take place in a fume hood because it uses a smelly compound called 2. Add 6 drops of ethyl alcohol to a clean test tube. 3. Add 2 drops of butyric acid. 4. Gently agitate the mixture. 5. Add 1 drop of concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). 6. Gently agitate the mixture. 7. Place the test tube in a beaker of hot water for 3 minutes. 8. Add 20 drops of water. 9. Carefully smell the mixture, and record the smell.

Apple:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

This reaction must take place in a fume hood because it uses a smelly compound called Add 6 drops of methyl alcohol (methanol) to a clean test tube. Add 2 drops of butyric acid. Gently agitate the mixture. Add 1 drop of concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Gently agitate the mixture. Place the test tube in a beaker of hot water for 3 minutes. Add 20 drops of water. Carefully smell the mixture, and record the smell.

Analysis of Results
Part 1: Reactions

Part 2: Questions
1. What evidence do you have that an ester was produced in each of your reactions?

Hypothetically, the sweet scent produced by the reaction between the carboxylic acid and the alcohol would be evidence that an ester was produced in the reaction. The sweet scent would serve as evidence because one of the specific properties that the ester functional group gives is saccharine smell.
2. What is the role of sulfuric acid in this reaction? How come it isnt listed with the other

reactants? The role of the sulfuric acid in the reaction is that of a catalyst. A catalyst is a molecule that speeds up the reaction by lowering the activation energy, which is the level of energy that is needed in order to kick start the process of breaking down the bonds between the reactants. It is not considered a reactant in this reaction because it does not alter the reactants or the product.
3. In your own words, describe what happens at a molecular level when an alcohol and a

carboxylic acid react. At a molecular level, what happens when an alcohol and a carboxylic acid react is that the reactants, alcohol and carboxylic acid, are introduced to heat and a catalyst, such as as sulfuric acid, leading to the reaching of the activation energy. Once the molecules reach the full level of activation energy, also the point at which the reaction has the most energy, the molecules enter the transition stage in which their molecular bonds are torn apart and rearranged. Finally, the reaction begins to lose energy as the product, an ester, is formed along with water as a byproduct. The reaction is considered endothermic because the product has more energy than the reactants did at the beginning of the reaction.

Conclusion
Imagine being at the local grocery store with your little sister and mom. Your sister sees Grapples for sale and shouts out: Thats nasty! Apples that taste like grapes? That must be

filled with like mad chemicals. We should get the organic apples instead, I hear they dont have chemicals. In reality, there is no difference between the Grapples brand apples and the organic apples in relation to nutritional content. Grapples creator claims that the taste of grape in the fiji apples does not alter the sugar level of the apple, the protein, or fiber content, thus proving, that Grapples brand apples and organic apples are equivalent in nutritional value. However, it is misleading to automatically assume that the organic apples are better because they have no chemicals. As a matter of fact, organic produce does have chemicals and pesticides that are used while it is grown, harvested, and then dispatched. However, due to the common misconception that the media often transmits, society has been led to believe that organic agriculture is superior when compared to conventional produce. Nevertheless, this is simply not the case. The only difference between organic produce and conventional foodstuff is the origin of the chemicals that are applied. Organic produce has chemicals that come straight from nature and are often not tampered with at all, or to very little magnitude. Although this may seem like a relief, in many instances organic pesticides have been found to be more dangerous than the synthetic pesticides used to grow non-organic food. Furthermore, even if organic farmers didnt use any sort of pesticides, this would not mean that their food would be any safer to eat. Without the use of pesticides, potential pathogens, which are bacteria that cause disease, are found in almost 10% of all organic food samples. Moreover, the artificial flavor of grape that is found in Grapples is created through the production of an ester, which is a functional group that is attached to a hydrocarbon, which is an organic compound. Therefore, the idea that the organic apples in this situation are better than the Grapple brand apples is a flawed notion.