Esterification Of Carboxylic Acid

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Esters are derived from carboxylic acids. A carboxylic acid contains the -COOH group, and in an ester the hydrogen in this group is replaced by a hydrocarbon group of some kind. This could be an alkyl group like methyl or ethyl, or one containing a benzene ring like phenyl. Carboxylic acid esters, formula RCOOR′ (R and R′ are any organic combining groups), are commonly prepared by reaction of carboxylic acids and alcohols in the presence of hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, a process called esterification. The general equation for the reaction is:
Carboxylic Acid + Alcohol → Ester + Water
The reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol yields an ester and water is eliminated. The functional group of an ester is O=C-O. Ester formation is an equilibrium process catalyzed by an acid catalyst.An ester is made from an alcohol and a carboxylicacid. An acid and a alcohol in ethyl butyrate is shown below. For part A, the product methyl salicylate is in liquid form and smells like wintergreen. Different molecules result in different physical properties .Carboxylic acids are solids at room temperatures due to the intermolecular forces (hydrogen bonding) present in the carboxylic acid functional group. Methyl salicylate, the methyl ester of salicylic acid, is more commonly known as “Oil of Wintergreen” as it was first isolated from the wintergreen plant. It is also synthetically produced, used as a fragrance, in foods and beverages, and in liniments. For part B, an organic

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