Benzyl benzoate is the ester

Ester

Esters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid with a hydroxyl compound such as an alcohol or phenol. Esters are usually derived from an inorganic acid or organic acid in which at least one -OH group is replaced by an -O-alkyl group, and most commonly from carboxylic acids and...

 of benzyl alcohol

Benzyl alcohol

Benzyl alcohol is an organic compound with the formula C6H5CH2OH. The benzyl group is often abbreviated "Bn", thus benzyl alcohol is denoted as BnOH. Benzyl alcohol is a colorless liquid with a mild pleasant aromatic odor. It is a useful solvent due to its polarity, low toxicity, and low vapor...

 and benzoic acid

Benzoic acid

Benzoic acid , C7H6O2 , is a colorless crystalline solid and the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid. The name derived from gum benzoin, which was for a long time the only source for benzoic acid. Its salts are used as a food preservative and benzoic acid is an important precursor for the synthesis...

, with the formula C₆H₅CH₂O₂CC₆H₅. This easily prepared compound has a variety of uses.

Synthesis

This colorless liquid is formally the condensation

Condensation reaction

A condensation reaction is a chemical reaction in which two molecules or moieties combine to form one single molecule, together with the loss of a small molecule. When this small molecule is water, it is known as a dehydration reaction; other possible small molecules lost are hydrogen chloride,...

 product of benzoic acid

Benzoic acid

Benzoic acid , C7H6O2 , is a colorless crystalline solid and the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid. The name derived from gum benzoin, which was for a long time the only source for benzoic acid. Its salts are used as a food preservative and benzoic acid is an important precursor for the synthesis...

 and benzyl alcohol

Benzyl alcohol

Benzyl alcohol is an organic compound with the formula C6H5CH2OH. The benzyl group is often abbreviated "Bn", thus benzyl alcohol is denoted as BnOH. Benzyl alcohol is a colorless liquid with a mild pleasant aromatic odor. It is a useful solvent due to its polarity, low toxicity, and low vapor...

. It can also be generated from benzaldehyde

Benzaldehyde

Benzaldehyde is an organic compound consisting of a benzene ring with a formyl substituent. It is the simplest aromatic aldehyde and one of the most industrially useful. This colorless liquid has a characteristic pleasant almond-like odor...

 by the Tishchenko reaction

Tishchenko reaction

The Tishchenko reaction is a chemical reaction that involves disproportionation of an aldehyde lacking a hydrogen atom in the alpha position in the presence of an alkoxide. The reaction product is an ester. Catalysts are aluminium alkoxides or sodium alkoxides...

.

Uses

Benzyl benzoate, as a topical

Topical

In medicine, a topical medication is applied to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes such as the vagina, anus, throat, eyes and ears.Many topical medications are epicutaneous, meaning that they are applied directly to the skin...

 solution, may be used as an antiparasitic insecticide

Insecticide

An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...

 to kill the mite

Mite

Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...

s responsible for the skin condition scabies

Scabies

Scabies , known colloquially as the seven-year itch, is a contagious skin infection that occurs among humans and other animals. It is caused by a tiny and usually not directly visible parasite, the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under the host's skin, causing intense allergic itching...

, for example as a combination drug of benzyl benzoate/disulfiram.

It has other uses:

• a fixative in fragrances to improve the stability and other characteristics of the main ingredients
• a food additive
  Food additive
  Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance.Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling , salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines...
  
   in artificial flavors
• a plasticizer
  Plasticizer
  Plasticizers or dispersants are additives that increase the plasticity or fluidity of the material to which they are added; these include plastics, cement, concrete, wallboard, and clay. Although the same compounds are often used for both plastics and concretes the desired effects and results are...
  
   in cellulose
  Cellulose
  Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
  
   and other polymer
  Polymer
  A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
  
  s
• a solvent
  Solvent
  A solvent is a liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution that is soluble in a certain volume of solvent at a specified temperature...
  
   for various chemical reactions
• a treatment for sweet itch
  Sweet itch
  Also known as Queensland Itch, Summer Itch or more technically, Culicoides Hypersensitivity.Sweet Itch is a medical condition in equines caused by an allergic response to the bites of Culicoides midges. It may be found in any horses and ponies, especially in the warmer regions. It may also occur,...
  
   in horses
• a treatment for scaly leg mites in chickens

List of plants that contain the chemical

• Kaempferia rotunda
  Kaempferia rotunda
  Kaempferia rotunda is a spicy plant and is having many medicinal uses in Ayurvedic and allopathic medicinal systems this plant is also called by these names:*Bhumi champa*Indian crocus*Peacock ginger...
  
  
• Zingiber cassumunar
  Zingiber cassumunar
  Cassumunar ginger: Zingiber cassumunar, now thought to be a synonym of Zingiber montanum Link ex A.Dietr. , is a species of plant in the ginger family and is also a relative of galangal...