ester

Also known as esters

130px|thumb|An ester of a carboxylic acid. R stands for [[hydrogen, halogen or organyl and R stands for any organyl group.]] In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an acid (either organic or inorganic) in which the hydrogen atom (H) of at least one acidic hydroxyl group () of that acid is replaced by an organyl group (R). These compounds contain a distinctive functional group. Analogues derived from oxygen replaced by other chalcogens belong to the ester category as well. According to some authors, organyl derivatives of acidic hydrogen of other acids are esters as well (e.g. amides

AI overview

An ester is a chemical compound formed when the hydrogen atom in an acid is replaced by an organic group, creating a molecule with a distinctive structure. Esters are important because they occur widely in nature and industry—for example, they make up fats and oils, and they're used in fragrances, plastics, and many other everyday products.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

212,849 papers

Enzymatic ester bond formation strategies in fungal macrolide skeletons.ReviewNatural product reports · 2025Zhang JM, Yuan GY, Zou YDOI: 10.1039/d4np00050a
Preserving ester-linked modifications reveals glutamate and aspartate mono-ADP-ribosylation by PARP1 and its reversal by PARG.Nature communications · 2024Longarini EJ, Matić IDOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48314-0
Carboxylic ester hydrolases from hyperthermophiles.ReviewExtremophiles : life under extreme conditions · 2009Levisson M, van der Oost J, Kengen SWDOI: 10.1007/s00792-009-0260-4
Microbial esterases and ester prodrugs: An unlikely marriage for combating antibiotic resistance.ReviewDrug development research · 2019Larsen EM, Johnson RJDOI: 10.1002/ddr.21468
[Evaluation of the Oral Absorption of Ester-type Prodrugs].ReviewYakugaku zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan · 2020Ohura KDOI: 10.1248/yakushi.19-00225
Emerging trends in stereoselective glycosyl ester synthesis.ReviewAdvances in carbohydrate chemistry and biochemistry · 2025Maheshwari M, Hussain NDOI: 10.1016/bs.accb.2025.09.001
Palladium-Catalyzed Tandem Ester Dance/Decarbonylative Coupling Reactions.Organic letters · 2022Kubo M, Inayama N, Ota E et al.DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.2c01432
Steryl Ester Formation and Accumulation in Steroid-Degrading Bacteria.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2020Holert J, Brown K, Hashimi A et al.DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02353-19

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Show 2 more facts

Commons category: Esters
MCN code: 2918.13.20

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~28 min read

Article

31 sections

Contents

Nomenclature
Etymology
IUPAC nomenclature
Orthoesters
Esters of inorganic acids
Structure and bonding
Physical properties and characterization
Characterization and analysis
Applications and occurrence
Preparation
Esterification of carboxylic acids with alcohols
Esterification of carboxylic acids with epoxides
Alcoholysis of acyl chlorides and acid anhydrides
Alkylation of carboxylic acids and their salts
Transesterification
Carbonylation
Addition of carboxylic acids to alkenes and alkynes
From aldehydes
Other methods
Reactions
Transesterification
Hydrolysis and saponification
Reduction
Claisen condensation and related reactions
Other ester reactivities
Other reactions
Protecting groups
List of ester odorants
See also
References
External links

Glycerides are fatty acid esters of glycerol; they are important in biology, being one of the main classes of lipids and comprising the bulk of animal fats and vegetable oils. Lactones are cyclic carboxylic esters; naturally occurring lactones are mainly 5- and 6-membered ring lactones. Lactones contribute to the aroma of fruits, butter, cheese, vegetables like celery and other foods.