Carboxylic acids and esters general questions

Question 1

What is a suitable reagent to break an amide linkage

Answer 1

NaOH

Question 2

Explain why ethanoyl chloride reacts readily with nucleophiles

Answer 2

large charge on carbonyl carbon atom due to bonding to O and Cl
Nucleophiles have electron pairs which can be donated

Question 3

Give one advantage of the use of propanoyl chloride instead of propanoic acid in the laboratory preparation of methyl propanoate from methanol

Answer 3

Faster
Not reversible
Higher yield
Purer product
No acid catalyst required

Question 4

Describe briefly how you could measure the melting point of aspirin

Answer 4

Sample in capillary / melting point tube
Heat in melting point apparatus / heat gently / slowly near melting point

Question 5

What is observed with 1-chloropropane and ethanoyl chloride when an aqueous solution of silver nitrate is added

Answer 5

1-chloropropane: no visible change
ethanoyl chloride: white precipitate