Question

Vinay was trying to create Sodium acetate, he added ethanoic acid and 'A' in an open vessel to concentrated H2SO4 and was surprised when the solution gave a sweet effervescence. So he started again in a closed vessel and obtained ethyl acetate. Then he added 'B' and create Sodium acetate. Find a and b

Answer 1

As "A" reacts with ethanoic acid in open vessel to concentrated H2SO4 to give pleasant smell(ester) it should be ethanol. The reaction is given as
CH3CH2OH + CH3COOH --> CH3CH2OCOCH3 + H2O
In this reaction ethanol reacts with ethanoic acid to give ethyl ethanoate (ester) and water.
Now he adds "B" to mixture to get sodium acetate. So B must be either sodium hydroxide and it is hydrolysis of ester.
The reactions are given herewith
CH3COOCH2CH3 + NaOH --> CH3COONa + CH3CH2OH
In this reaction the hydrolysis of ester in the presence of base gives sodium acetate and alcohol.