chemistry

Methyl cinnamate

Methyl cinnamate is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Methyl cinnamate rather than just read about it. In short: Methyl cinnamate is the methyl ester of cinnamic acid and is a white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is found naturally in a variety of plants, including in fruits, like strawberry, and some culinary spices, such as Sichuan pepper and some varieties of basil.

Key takeaways

Methyl cinnamate belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Methyl cinnamate to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Methyl cinnamate from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Methyl cinnamate is the methyl ester of cinnamic acid and is a white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is found naturally in a variety of plants, including in fruits, like strawberry, and some culinary spices, such as Sichuan pepper and some varieties of basil. Eucalyptus olida has the highest known concentrations of methyl cinnamate (98%) with a 2–6% fresh weight yield in the leaf and twigs. Methyl cinnamate is used in the flavor and perfume industries. The flavor is fruity and strawberry-like; and the odor is sweet, balsamic with fruity odor, reminiscent of cinnamon and strawberry. It is known to attract males of various orchid bees, such as Aglae caerulea.

List of plants that contain the chemical Eucalyptus olida 'Strawberry Gum' Ocotea quixos South American (Ecuadorian) Cinnamon, Ishpingo Ocimum americanum cv. Purple Lovingly (Querendona Morada) Ocimum americanum cv. Purple Castle (Castilla Morada) Ocimum americanum cv. Purple Long-legged (Zancona morada) Ocimum americanum cv. Clove (Clavo) Ocimum basilicum cv. Sweet Castle (Dulce de Castilla) Ocimum basilicum cv. White Compact (Blanca compacta) Ocimum basilicum cv. large green leaves (verde des horjas grandes) Ocimum micranthum cv. Cinnamon (Canela) Ocimum minimum cv. Little Virgin (Virgen pequena) Ocimum minimum cv. Purple Virgin (Virgen morada) Ocimum sp. cv. Purple ruffle (Crespa morada) Ocimum sp. cv. White Ruffle (Crespa blanca) Stanhopea embreei, an orchid Vanilla

Toxicology and safety Moderately toxic by ingestion. The oral LD50 for rats is 2610 mg/kg. It is combustible as a liquid, and when heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes.

Compendial status Food Chemicals Codex

See also Eucalyptus oil Ralf Sieckmann v Deutsches Patent und Markenamt, a court case concerning a company attempting to trademark the chemical compound.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Methyl cinnamate

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Methyl cinnamate claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Methyl cinnamate before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Methyl cinnamate ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Methyl cinnamate

In research: Methyl cinnamate appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Methyl cinnamate in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Methyl cinnamate is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cinnamate esters, Flavors, Methyl esters, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Methyl cinnamate outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Methyl cinnamate in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Methyl cinnamate means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Methyl cinnamate out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Methyl cinnamate in simple terms?

Why does Methyl cinnamate matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Methyl cinnamate?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Methyl cinnamate.