Esterification Methods
There are various methods present for preparing esters in laboratories. Some of these methods are discussed below:
Acid Chloride and Alcohol
When acyl chloride reacts with alcohol, its resulting reaction can be quite violent at room temperature. This reaction produces an ester along with hydrogen chloride gas’s acidic fumes.
For example, when liquid acetyl chloride is introduced to ethanol, it produces hydrogen chloride fumes which results in forming ethyl ethanoate, which is an ester.
Both phenols and alcohols react when we use this approach. When it comes to phenols, there are situations when changing phenol into a more reactive form beforehand may enhance the reaction.
Acetyl chloride also reacts with phenol in a similar way to the ethanol reaction, but here reaction is comparatively less intense. This reaction produces phenyl ethanoate and hydrogen chloride gas.
Acid Anhydride and Alcohol
The reaction between alcohol and acid anhydride is relatively slower in comparison to the reaction between an acid anhydride and acid chloride. The mixture needed to be warmed to obtain many esters.
For example, the reaction between ethanol and ethanoic anhydride. Here the reaction is extremely slow at room temperature but speeds up on warming. Even though the colorless liquids seem unchanged, they actually form a mixture of ethyl acetate and acetic acid. A similar reaction takes place with phenol however more slowly.
Carboxylic Acid and Alcohol
This method is used for converting alcohols into esters. Here, esters are formed by heating carboxylic acids and alcohol together with the assistance of an acid catalyst.
The catalyst that is commonly used is concentrated sulfuric acid. Sometimes, dry hydrogen chloride gas is used, but this is usually only for aromatic esters(carboxylic acid containing a benzene ring).
CH3COOH + CH3CH2OH ⇌ CH3COOCH2CH3 + H2O
Here, the ethanol and ethanoic acid react to form water and methyl-ethanoate.
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