Our words aroma and aromatic derive from the Greek word for
spice. Spices are among the archetypical aromatic substances, highly
valued by humans for millennia due to the olfactory qualities they
add to food and perfumes. Consider cinnamon, from the plant Cin-
namomum verum and related species, native to India and other regions
of Southeast Asia. The bark of these plants contains a highly aromatic
essential oil, used to impart a distinctive flavor to both savory and
sweet foods. The essential oil contains a complex mixture of chemical
components, among which are cinnamaldehyde, cinnamy]l acetate,
cinnamyl alcohol, copaene, eugenol, ethyl cinnamate, guaiene, and
numerous others.
oO oO 0 Z
SS H SS o7~™
HO
Eugenol
Cinnamaldehyde Ethyl cimmamate