Wiktionary
n. (context chemistry English) The methyl ester of salicylic acid and the principal constituent of oil of wintergreen
WordNet
n. a liquid ester with a strong odor of wintergreen; applied externally for minor muscle and joint pain [syn: birch oil, sweet-birch oil]
Wikipedia
Methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen or wintergreen oil) is an organic ester naturally produced by many species of plants, particularly wintergreens. It is also synthetically produced, used as a fragrance, in foods and beverages, and in liniments.
The compound methyl salicylate was first isolated (from the plant Gaultheria procumbens) in 1843 by the French chemist Auguste André Thomas Cahours (1813–1891), who identified it as an ester of salicylic acid and methanol.See:
- Cahours, A. (1843) "Recherches sur l'huile de Gaultheria procumbens" (Investigations into the oil of Gaultheria procumbens), Comptes rendus … , 16 : 853-856.
- Cahours, A. (1843) "Sur quelques réactions du salicylate de méthylène" (On some reactions of methyl salicylate), Comptes rendus … , 17 : 43-47.
Usage examples of "methyl salicylate".
Step Three: The UV radiation is absorbed by the wintergreen flavoring, methyl salicylate.
Lozenges or troches containing 3 grains of Elm flavoured with methyl salicylate are used as a demulcent.