Carboxylic Acids and Derivatives

Question 1

Are carboxylic acids weak or strong? What can they gain from carbonates?

Answer 1

Weak but strong enough to get a CO2 from carbonates.

Question 2

Where are esters found?

Answer 2

Vegetable oils and animal fats

Question 3

What are 3 important products obtained from esters and other things?

Answer 3

Biodiesel
Soap
Glycerol

Question 4

3 Common uses of esters?

Answer 4

Solvents
Plasticisers
Perfumes

Question 5

What alcohol are vegetable oils and animal fats associated with? (+ IUPAC Name)

Answer 5

Propane-1,2,3-triol
(glycerol)

Question 6

How do you hydrolyse an ester?
What are the products of this?

Answer 6

Acid or Alkaline conditions
Acids: Alcohols and Carboxylic acids
Alkali: Alcohols and Carboxylate salt

Question 7

What is the result of hydrolysing animal fats / vegetable oils

Answer 7

Soap (long chains of carboxylate salts)
Glycerol

Question 8

What is biodiesel?

Answer 8

A mixture of methyl esters of long chain carboxylic acids

Question 9

How is biodiesel produced?

Answer 9

Reacting vegetable oils with methanol in the presence of a catalyst

Question 10

What is the structure of an Acyl Chloride?

Answer 10

RCOCl

Question 11

What is the structure of an Acid Anhydride

Answer 11

RC(=O)OC(=O)R

Question 12

What is the structure of an amide?

Answer 12

RCONH2

Question 13

Advantages of Anhydrides over Acyl Chloride?

Answer 13

Cheaper
Less corrosive
Doesn’t react with water easily
Safer (by product is ethnic acid, not HCl)

Question 14

How can yield of distillation be increased

Answer 14

Keep the temperature of the reaction mixture below the boiling point

Cool the distillate / collecting vessel