PurposeThe purpose of this experiment is to prepare and observe the properties of esters. The ester that will be synthesized into this methyl salicylateIntroductionAlmost everyone is familiar with the fruity scents from their local grocery store. Many of these perfumes are foreign. Most of the flavors we know represent a mixture of esters and other molecules such as alcohol. The process of producing ester is known as esterification. Esters are formed carboxylic acid and a carboxylic acid reacts with alcohol, from this reaction water is also produced. The carboxylic acid contains the –COOH group (Jim Clark, 2003) The general formula for esterification isO O|| ||RC-OH + HO-R RCOR + HOHFigure 1: Esterification Formula The purpose of this experiment was to prepare an ester with a wintergreen scent. This was achieved by pouring the mixture resulting from the reaction between methanol, sulfuric acid and salicylic acid into an evaporation dish with water. The following diagram represents the reaction between salicylic acid and methanol and the result. O OH O OOH H2SO4 OH+ HO CH3 + H2OFigure 2: Reagents and esterification results. Esterification usually requires a catalyst to speed up the reaction. Hypothesis: If salicylic acid reacts with methanol, the result of the reaction will be an ester and water. Apparatus and materials Heating plate 1 Test tube Test tube holder Methanol (2 ml) Concentrate ...... in the center of the paper ......The smell of rubber was present in the test tube which made it impossible to identify the perfume in the test tube . Since the cap on the test tube is handmade, methanol may have leaked from the spaces on the sides of the test tube. To prevent this from happening again, you should use a plastic tube lid/cap because plastic when heated has little to no odor compared to rubber. Bibliography Chemguide, Esterification. http://www.chemguide.co.uk/organicprops/alcohols/esterification.html (accessed March 2014).NHS Choices, Methyl Salicylate. http://www.nhs.uk/medicine-guides/pages/MedicineOverview.aspx?medicine=Methyl%20salicylate (accessed March 2014).ZChemicals.com, Natural Flavors vs Artificial Flavors. HTTP://WWW.ZCHEMICALS.COM/INDEX.PHP?OPTION=COM_CONTENT&TASK=VIEW&ID=25&ITEMID=26. (Accessed in April 2014).