Carboxylic acids Flashcards
what is biodiesel made of?
methyl esters of long chain carboxylic acids
how is biodiesel produced?
by reacting vegetable oils with methanol in the presence of an acid catalyst
what can vegetable oils and animal fats be hydrolysed to?
soap and glycerol (in alkaline conditions)
what is glycerol?
propane-1,2,3-triol
what type of acids are carboxylic acids?
weak acids (so they partially dissociate)
carboxylic acid + alcohol = ?
ester
what are esters used in?
perfume, food flavourings, solvents
what are vegetable oils and animal fats?
esters of glycerol
what is required for esters to form (from carboxylic acids and alcohols?)
an acid catalyst
what are carboxylic acids strong enough to do?
release CO2 from carbonates
what is a salt of a carboxylic acid called?
carboxylate salt
are carboxylic acids soluble in water? why?
yes because they can form hydrogen bonds with water molecules
what is the reaction to make esters called?
esterification
what is aspirin and what is it produced from?
an ester produced from salicylic acid and ethanoic anhydride (or ethanoyl chloride)
what is ethanoic anhydride better than ethanoyl chloride in industry when making aspirin?
it doesn’t produce HCl
it is cheaper
