[aromaman]

Hi.

A very long time ago I took o-chem 1 and in the lab we conducted an experiment where we created three different aromas by combining 4+ natural materials for each.
This is all I remember - we used a blade of grass, a leaf from a tree, there was a piece of hard candy, and I think burnt sugar.. plus others I can't remember.
The materials were simply crushed and combined with a mortar and pestle.
We made the aroma of banana, strawberry (I think), and one other.
That's all I remember and I promise I'm not making this up!

I've tried to reach out to the professor without any success so I'm hoping someone knows of this experiment. I work with an organization that introduces STEM materials to kids through a fun and interactive environment and I just know the kids I work with would love this experiment.

Thank you! 

[rolnor]

It does sound impossible to get these aromas this way, is it all comming from the piece of  candy?
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ester

[aromaman]

No, it was really a combination of multiple things. and just to be clear - the fruit aroma was faint, don't think that an actual isolation of amyl acetate occurred and a strong pungent banana aroma was present.

I don't know, maybe it was magic... or a dream.

[rolnor]

It sounds a bit like a dream, yes.