Benzyl alcohol remarkably has nearly the same refraction index of quartz and wool fibre. If a clear quartz object is immersed in benzyl alcohol therefore it becomes almost invisible. This has been used as a method to non-destructively recognize if an object is made of true quartz or not (see Crystal skulls).

This colourless liquid is formally the condensation product of benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol. It can also be generated from benzaldehyde by the Tishchenko reaction.^[1]

Benzyl acetate is found naturally in many flowers. It is the primary constituent of the essential oils from the flowers jasmine, ylang-ylang and tobira. It has pleasant sweet aroma reminiscent of jasmine. Consequently, it is used widely in perfumery and cosmetics for its aroma and in flavorings to impart apple and pear flavors.

Cinnamic aldehyde or cinnamaldehyde (more precisely trans-cinnamaldehyde, the only naturally-occurring form) is the chemical compound that gives cinnamon its flavor and odor.^[1]

The most obvious application for cinnamaldehyde is as a flavoring. 50 grams can be purchased for around US$20.00, and concentrations required for flavoring food items like chewing gum, ice cream, candy, and beverages range from 9 to 4900 ppm (that is, less than 0.5%).

Aniline, phenylamine or aminobenzene is an organic compound with the formula C₆H₇N. It is the simplest and one of the most important aromatic amines, being used as a precursor to more complex chemicals. Its main application is in the manufacture of polyurethane.