Esterification Mechanism
Esterification proceeds in several steps. The mechanism of esterification is shown below:
Step 1: Formation of cation
Step 2: Here, a delocalized carbocation is formed as a result of protonating the carboxyl oxygen. This, in turn, makes the carbocation a better electrophile.
Step 3: In this step, a proton is then transferred to one of the hydroxyl groups to create a suitable leaving group.
Step 4: Here, the carbon atom forms a π bond by removing water after the alcohol oxygen atom of the hydroxy group delivers a pair of electrons to it. Since the concentration of water is lower than that of methanol, this is not a suitable nucleophile for reversing the reaction.
Step 5: In the final step, the concentration of water is too low to reverse the entire reaction.
Esterification – Reaction, Mechanism,Applications
Esterification is the chemical process in which alcohol (ROH) reacts with specific acids, predominantly carboxylic acid (RCOOH), to form an ester (RCOOR). An ester is a chemical compound which is having two carbon groups bonded to a single oxygen atom.
In this article, we are going to learn about the process of esterification, exploring its mechanism, techniques, applications, conditions, and examples, along with common frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Table of Content
- What is Esterification?
- Esterification Reaction
- Esterification Mechanism
- Esterification Methods
- Conditions For Esterification
- Difference between Esterification and Saponification