Linalyl acetate structure

Methyl salicylate 144 (Structure 4.44), the main constituent of wintergreen oil, is derived from benzoic acid. Other important esters are linalyl acetate 145, benzyl benzoate 146 and benzyl isobutyrate 147. 

Ethyl acetate, which is a comparatively small molecule, has the typical fruity character associated with all the lower esters, and a more or less equal balance between the influence of the two structural units, derived from ethyl alcohol and acetic acid. Linalyl acetate and geranyl acetate, however, although retaining the typical character of an acetate have much less of the ester fruitiness and are more closely related to the corresponding alcohols, linalool, and geraniol. The dominance of the alcohol appears to be even greater in phenylethyl acetate and paracresyl acetate (a phenolic ester). 

During distillation of the spice, a number of transformations may occur in the composition of the volatile oil. Small quantities of p-cymene may be produced as an artefact, linalyl acetate and some other esters may be hydrolysed and d-linalool may rearrange to its optically inactive isomer geraniol. Potter et al. (1993) found structural similarity in the compounds of Polygonum odoratum to that of C. sativum. 

Yan, P.S. P.j. White. Linalyl acetate and other compounds with related structures as antioxidants in heated soybean oil./. Agric. Food Chem. 1990,38, 1904—1908. 

Among the complex mixtures that comprise a perfume, the fragrance chemicals they contain can be classified in different families according to their chemical structure, where it is usual to find the five-carbon isoprene unit in most of them, giving them the names of terpenes. So, one can find monoterpene hydrocarbons (e.g. Umonene), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (e.g. a-famesene), alcohols (e.g. ai-3-hexenol), monoterpene alcohols (e.g. linalool), sesquiterpene alcohols (e.g. famesol), phenols (e.g. eugenol), aldehydes (e.g. 2,6-nonadienal), terpene aldehydes (e.g. citral), ketones (e.g. cyclohexanone), terpene ketones (e.g. jS-ionone), lactones (e.g. y-undecalactone), esters (e.g. methyl salicylate), terpene esters (e.g. linalyl acetate), and oxides (e.g. eucalyptol), etc. Some examples are depicted in Figure 6.1.1. 

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