Esters

Esters are a well known group of organic compounds which have been derived from an acid, in whose molecular structure, the hydroxyl group has been substituted by an alkoxy group. Esters usually originate from alcohols and carboxylic acids, and one of the most common type of esters which are well known to us and are a part of our biology are Glycerides, which are nothing but fatty acid esters of glycerol, which happen to be a very important class of lipids, and are an integral component of plant oil and animal fat. In addition to being at the backbone of DNA, they are also widely used in perfumes due to their low molecular mass.

1) Polymeric esters, which are commonly known as polyesters or plastics, are one of the most important group of compounds, where ester moieties link the monomers
2) The polarity of esters is at par with ethers but lesser in magnitude compared to that of alcohols
3) Thanks to their ability to participate in hydrogen bonding, they are known to be soluble in water to a certain extent
4) Since they are highly volatile, they are generally identified by employing the technique of gas chromatography
5) Esters are widely used in the formulation of cosmetics, perfumes, hair care products and other industrially important polymers