Questions: The smell of peaches is due to benzyl acetate, and the smell of rum results from 2-methylpropyl propionate. In the boxes below, draw the structures of the carboxylic acids and alcohols that could be used to synthesize each of these esters.

The smell of peaches is due to benzyl acetate, and the smell of rum results from 2-methylpropyl propionate. In the boxes below, draw the structures of the carboxylic acids and alcohols that could be used to synthesize each of these esters.

Transcript text: The smell of peaches is due to benzyl acetate, and the smell of rum results from 2-methylpropyl propionate. In the boxes below, draw the structures of the carboxylic acids and alcohols that could be used to synthesize each of these esters.

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Identify the Ester Functional Group

Locate the ester functional group in benzyl acetate. Esters have the general structure R-COO-R', where the single-bonded oxygen connects to the 'R' group representing the alcohol portion.

Step 2: Separate the Alcohol and Carboxylic Acid Components

Separate the benzyl acetate molecule into its alcohol and carboxylic acid components at the ester bond:

Alcohol: The benzyl alcohol (phenylmethanol) component is the part attached to the single-bonded oxygen: CH₂-phenyl
Carboxylic Acid: The carboxylic acid component is the part with the carbonyl group (C=O): CH₃COOH (acetic acid)

Step 3: Draw the Structures

In the first box, draw the structure of acetic acid (CH₃COOH). In the second box, draw the structure of benzyl alcohol (phenylmethanol).