Octyl Acetate

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Octyl acetate, or octyl ethanoate, is an ester that is formed from octanol (octyl alcohol) and acetic acid. It is the basis for artificial orange flavoring. Octyl acetate can be synthesized by a condensation reaction: C8H17OH + CH3COOH ¿ C10H20O2 + H2O Esters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid (one containing an oxo group, X=O) with a hydroxyl compound such as an alcohol or phenol. Esters are usually derived from an inorganic acid or organic acid in which at least one -OH (hydroxyl) group is replaced by an -O-alkyl (alkoxy) group, and most commonly from carboxylic acids and alcohols.