Answer to Question #71087 in Organic Chemistry for jordan

Question

When ethanol was reacted with ethanoic acid to create ethyl ethanoate, why did it smell like nail polish remover instead of pears?

Answer 1

A smell of compound depends on a concentration. Ethyl ethanoate smells like pears at low levels and like nail-polish-remover at high concentration. You can dilute it if you want feel the smell of pears.