isoamyl acetate

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a colorless liquid, C 7 H 14 O 2 , used in flavorings, perfumery, and as a solvent.

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isoamyl acetate British  

/ ˌaɪsəʊˈæmɪl /

noun

1. a colourless volatile compound used as a solvent for cellulose lacquers and as a flavouring. Formula: (CH 3 ) 2 CHCH 2 CH 2 OOCCH 3

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Example Sentences

Presumably reading the word isoamyl acetate would not trigger the smell of a banana though — except perhaps in biochemists, science nerds or perfumers for whom it’s become part of their internal concept of the fruit.

From Salon

That would suggest that Mormann’s speculation is correct, and the banana visual is triggering our olfactory concept cells to imagine the rich, ripe banana odor that results, when there’s actually a banana there, from a compound called isoamyl acetate.

From Salon

Fermentation produces everything from isoamyl acetate, which makes German Hefeweizens taste of banana, to the clove notes of 4-VG.

From Nature

As an undergraduate chemistry student at the University of Georgia, he remembers the banana aroma created in his organic chemistry lab from isoamyl acetate and his research on the enzyme kinetics behind an apple slice turning brown.

From US News

San Francisco, Calif. Banana Oil Sirs: Banana oil, so called because of its odor resembling bananas, is isoamyl acetate, prepared synthetically and not from bananas as you would have us believe in your article under Colombia, issue of Dec. 17.

From Time Magazine Archive