The term "ester C" has been used referring to an oxidized form of ascorbate which (according to the patent) is produced by simply heating up
ascorbate. (This eliminates the need to purify the ascorbate after boiling off the solvents.)
Would this product actually fit into the definition of an "ester" since it only replaces 2 OH bonds with double bonds?
Also, I'm wondering what product could be expected if ascorbate was reacted with ethanol using an acid catalyst?