Table of Contents
What is Esterification?
Esterification is a chemical reaction in which an alcohol and a carboxylic acid react to form an ester. The esterification reaction is usually reversible, meaning that the ester can be hydrolyzed back into the alcohol and carboxylic acid.
Esterification is a reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid to form an ester. The esterification reaction is usually reversible, meaning that the ester can be hydrolyzed back into the alcohol and carboxylic acid.
The Esterification Mechanism
The esterification mechanism is the process by which an ester created from an alcohol and a carboxylic acid. Therefore the two reactants combine to form a new molecule, with the alcohol and carboxylic acid groups attached to the same carbon atom. This process catalyzed by an acid or base, and typically proceeds through a series of steps known as an esterification reaction.
1. From Alcohol and Acid Chloride to Alcohol and Chloride
When alcohol and acid chloride react, they produce alcohol and chloride. The reaction occurs when the acid chloride molecule attacks the alcohol molecule, breaking it down into two parts. The chlorine atom from the acid chloride molecule grabs onto the carbon atom from the alcohol molecule, and also the hydrogen atom from the alcohol molecule lost. This leaves a molecule of chloride and also a molecule of ethanol.
2. From Alcohol and Acid Anhydride
Alcohol and acid anhydride are two types of molecules that are capable of reacting with each other. In the presence of an acid catalyst, an alcohol and an acid anhydride can form an ester. This reaction occurs when the alcohol and the anhydride molecules share a molecule of oxygen. However the oxygen molecule links the two molecules together, and the bond that formed called an ester bond.
3. From Alcohol and Carboxylic Acid
A mixture of ethanol and carboxylic acid can distilled to separate the two compounds. Therefore the ethanol will vaporize at a lower temperature than the carboxylic acid and will collected in the distilling flask. The carboxylic acid will remain in the boiling flask.
