Esters

Things to know about esters

Esters, or more precisely carboxylic acid, are combinations from organic acids and alcohols. Due to the large number of available alcohols (univalent or multivalent alcohols) and of the fatty acids or mixtures of fatty acids available from the fat-splitting of the natural oils and fats, any number of combinations of esters with various characteristic properties can be synthesised. The ambivalent character of the esters is caused firstly by the polar (hydrophilic) character of the ester bonding and the polar OH groups of the alcohol, and secondly by the unpolar (lipophilic) fatty acid chains. The resulting surface-active and emulsifying properties of the esters are utilised in many areas of application.