The reason why the polarity of acetone is stronger than that of ethyl acetate
The polarity of the tasting substance is related to its molecular structure and charge distribution. Acetone and ethyl acetate, both contain carbonyl groups, but the polarity is different. The polarity of acetone is higher than that of ethyl acetate. The reasons are as follows.

First, the molecular structure. The acetone molecule has a symmetrical structure, with methyl groups on both sides of the carbonyl group. This structure makes the electron cloud distribution relatively concentrated in the carbonyl group, making the carbonyl oxygen atom more electronegative, resulting in a larger molecular dipole moment. In contrast, the structure of ethyl acetate has methyl groups on one side and ethoxy groups on the other side. Ethoxy groups contain long chains of ethoxy groups, and their electron cloud distribution is relatively scattered, which weakens the electronegativity of the carbonyl oxygen atom. The molecular dipole moment is smaller than that of acetone. Therefore, from the perspective of molecular structure, the polarity of acetone is even worse.

Re-discussion of hydrogen bonding. Although both are difficult to form intermolecular hydrogen bonds by themselves, in specific environments, hydrogen bonds can be formed with molecules with active hydrogen. The electron cloud density of acetone carbonyl oxygen atoms is high, and the ability to attract hydrogen atoms is strong, and the ability to form hydrogen bonds is relatively good. The presence of ethoxy in ethyl acetate has a large steric barrier, which hinders the formation of hydrogen bonds with others. The strength of hydrogen bonds also affects the performance of polarity. Acetone is more polar in some situations due to its excellent ability to form hydrogen bonds.

Also known as induction effect. Methyl in acetone has an electron-induced effect on carbonyl groups, which enhances the electron cloud density of carbonyl groups and enhances the polarity of carbonyl groups. Although the ethoxy group of ethyl acetate also has a donor electron induction effect, the oxygen atom in ethoxy interacts with the carbonyl oxygen atom, disperses part of the electron cloud, and the degree of enhancement of carbonyl polarity is not as good as that of acetone. Therefore, at the induction effect level, the polarity of acetone is also better than that of ethyl acetate.

In summary, the polarity of acetone is stronger than that of ethyl acetate due to the combined action of molecular structure, hydrogen bonding and induction effect. This principle is of great significance in various fields of chemistry, such as solvent selection, substance separation and reaction mechanism research.