Question

Name the product formed when ethanol reacts with acetic acid. Write the chemical equation for this reaction.

Answer 1

• Ethanol is an alcoholic group represented by ${\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_5\mathrm{OH}$ and Acetic acid is having carboxylic acid as its function group represented by ${\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{COOH}$.
• Ethanol and Ethanoic acid reacts with each other in the presence of concentrated Sulphuric acid $\left({\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{SO}}_4\right)$ to form Ester.
• The reaction is also known as Esterification Reaction.
• Chemical equation can be represented as follows:

$\underset{\mathrm{Ethanol}}{{\mathrm{C}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_5\mathrm{OH}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)}+\underset{\mathrm{Acetic}\mathrm{acid}}{{\mathrm{CH}}_3\mathrm{COOH}\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)}\stackrel{\mathrm{Conc}.{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{SO}}_4}{\to }\underset{\mathrm{Ethyl}\mathrm{acetae}}{{\mathrm{CH}}_3{\mathrm{COOC}}_2{\mathrm{H}}_5\left(\mathrm{l}\right)}+\underset{\mathrm{Water}}{{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)}$