Re: What are the accepted scents for isoamyl formate & ethyl methanoate

Isoamyl formate (also known as isoamyl methanoate) naturally occurs in apples, so it has an "apply smell." It is used in perfumes to mimic the scents of plums, berries, apple cider, raspberries, oranges, and pears. Isoamyl formate is officially described as having a "plum black current etheral vinous dry earthy fruit green" odor (please see sources!).

Ethyl methanoate (better known as ethyl formate) can be isolated from two sources. One is termed "natural" ethyl formate is derived from cabbage, and the other is isolated from raspberries. Ethyl formate derived from cabbage is used to mimic the scents of raspberries, melons, mulberries, blackberries, and currant. Ethyl formate derived from raspberries is used when the scents of tea, mulberries, beer, strawberries, or butter are desired. In both cases, the compound is listed as having the scent of "green rose mignonette ether."

I consulted "The Good Scents Company" web site for the above information. Specifically, you can check these four pages:

main page - http://www.execpc.com/~goodscnt/

isoamyl formate - http://www.execpc.com/~goodscnt/data/rw1019851.html

ethyl formate (from cabbage) - http://www.execpc.com/~goodscnt/data/nt1062221.html

ethyl formate (from raspberries) - http://www.execpc.com/~goodscnt/data/rw1015051.html

In addition, the chemfinder.com search engine will often display links to other sites at the bottom of the search page. These sites will have information ranging from a compound's environmental and biological hazards to it's mass spectrum to information on what it smells like (as I found out!) in addition to a lot of other interesting information.

I hope this helps.