An ester by any other name would smell as sweet, but the examiner would not give you any marks…
Many esters have fruity odours, and they are often found in artificial flavourings and fragrances. One ester, ethylbutanoate, is found in bananas, pineapples and strawberries. However, the acid it is formed from, butanoic acid, is a constituent in parmesan cheese, rancid butter and vomit. The name ester is credited to Leopold Gmelin (1788–1853; see CHEMISTRY REVIEW, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 28–30) of the University of Heidelberg. Today all chemicals are named according to rules laid down by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). The rules mean that each compound has a unique name and each name corresponds to just one structure.
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