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Have you ever wondered why soft drinks, like fruit punch, tasted the way that they did or wondered what was behind the magic healing powers of an asprin? The answer to both inquires is ester. Esters, which are organic compounds derived from carboxylic acids, are components in both soft drinks and aspirin. In fact, esters are a part of our everyday life. They function as flavoring agents, pheromones, and medication. Esters play a large part in the flavoring and fragrance of fruits and flowers. In a natural flavor or odor there are a mixture of esters, but with synthetic flavoring the dominate ester is used and produced as as the basis for the flavoring agent. An example of this is isobutyl methanoate, the ester responsible for the flavoring and odor of raspberry. Propyl ethanoate is another example; it is the ether responsible for the flavoring and odor of pears. What's remarkable about the ester for pear flavoring and the ester for raspberry flavoring is that they have the same molecular formula but a different carbon arrangement. A small difference as the carbon arrangement or the number of carbons can be the difference of the flavor of a pear and raspberries. Esters are not only responsible for flavoring and odors; they also play a part in pheromones. A pheromone is " a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species" (1). Pheromones can be aggression, alarm, releaser, signal, primer, territorial, trail, information, or sex pheromones. There are a number of pheromones that contain ester functional groups. An example of this is the ester isosmly acetate, which is an alarm pheromone for honey bees. Another example is the ester methyl phydroxybenzoate, a sexual attractant for canine species. One of the most important qualities of esters is that they have medical value. One of the most common esters used for medicine is salicyclic acid acetate, which is the aspirin. Aspirin is

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the product of salicylic acid and acetic acid combined. When an aspirin enters the body it undergoes hydrolysis, meaning the ester reacts with water to form the carboxylic acid and alcohol from which the ester was formed. Salicylic acid is the product of this. The salicylic acid is the actual component that causes the relief from pain. Another of an ether with medical properties is phenyl salicylate " a similar aromatic ester [to aspirin], used in the treatment of rheumatic arthritis" (). In conclusion, esters are important in our everyday lives. They are in the soda that we drink the ice-cream that we eat, aspirins, fruits, and may other things. Esters allow us to comprehend medicine, odors, flavors, and pheromones.