Carboxylic acids & derivates Flashcards
carboxylic acids, esters and acylation
What is an acyl group?
Carbonyl group (C=O) with an alkyl group attached - derived from a carboxylic acid
What is acylation?
- introduction of acyl group to another molecule
Why aren’t carboxylic acids used as acylating agents?
COOH contain acyl group but OH bonded to acyl group is a very poor leaving group so COOHs not used as acylating agents
- instead 2 carboxylic acid derivatives used
Acylation reaction is used where?
- pharamaceutical (aspirin)
- textile industries (cellulose acetate or rayon)
Why are acid anhydries preffered to Acyl chlorides?
- cheaper to manufacture
- less reactive acylating reactions safer and easier to control
- acyl chlorides produce HCl as product of acylation (this is corrosive), but acid anhydrides produce water
- doesn’t react with water as readily
how to name carboxylic acids
- the ending is -oic acid
- no numbering needed as it’s always at end of the chain COOH
If there are carboxylic acid groups on both ends of the
chain, how do you name it?
it is called a - dioic acid
- Ethanedioic acid
(Note the e in this name)
describe the acidity of carboxylic acids
- weak acids in water and only slightly dissociate, but
they are strong enough to displace carbon dioxide from carbonates
describe the solubility in water of carbonates
- the smaller carboxylic acids (up to C4) dissolve in water in all proportions but after this the solubility
rapidly reduces - they dissolve because they can hydrogen bond to
the water molecules
what do carboxylic acids partially dissociate into?
- a carboxylate ion and H+ ion
carboxylic acids react with carbonates (contain CO3 2- )to form what?
- salt, carbon dioxide and water
carbon dioxide fizzes out of solution
what happens in esterification?
- carboxylic acids react with alcohols, in the
presence of a strong acid catalyst, to form
esters and water
equation to show how esters are formed from alcohols
Carboxylic Acid + Alcohol (H+) Ester + water
backwards reaction is a hydrolysis reaction, forwards is condensation or esterficiation
functional group of esters
- COO -
naming esters
- first part of esters name = alcohol (after the C=O)
- second part of esters name = carboxylic acid (before C=O)
e.g. propanol and ethanoic acid
propyl ethanoate
uses of esters
- Esters are sweet smelling compounds that can be used in perfumes and flavourings - Esters can be used as solvents for polar organic substances Ethyl ethanoate is used as a solvent in glues and printing inks - Esters can be used as plasticisers for polymers
importance of plasticisers
- pure polymers have limited flexibility because the polymer chains can’t move over each other
- incorporating some plasticiser into the polymer allows chains to move more easily and polymer can become more flexible
why do carboxlyic acids have higher boiling points than esters ?
Although polar, they do not form H bonds (reason: no hydrogen bonded to a highly electronegative atom)
- so they have much lower b.p. than the hydrogen-bonded carboxylic acids they came from.
- also almost insoluble in water
why do carboxylic acids have higher boiling points than esters?
Although polar, they do not form H bonds (reason: no hydrogen bonded to a highly electronegative atom)
- so they have much lower b.p. than the hydrogen-bonded carboxylic acids they came from.
- also almost insoluble in water
conditions of esters if they’re to be used as perfumes?
- non-toxic, soluble in solvent like ethanol, volatile (turns into gas easily), and not react with water
can carboxylic acids be oxidized?
- cannot be oxidized by oxidizing agents
- but methanoic acid can be (because its structure is effectively an aldehyde group)
describe the oxidation of methanoic acid
- can be oxidized because its structure is effectively an aldehyde group
- forms carbonic acid (H2CO3) which can decompose to give CO2
hydrolysis of esters
- esters can be hydrolyzed and split up by either heating with acid or with sodium hydroxide
- reaction is the reverse reaction of esterification, when an ester is hydrolyzed a carboxylic acid and an alcohol are formed
product and conditions of acid hydrolysis of esters
- (carboxylic) acid and alcohol
- reflux with dilute acid (hydrochloric or sulfuric)
(equilibrium reaction)
product and conditions of base hydrolysis of esters
- carboxylate ion and (COO-) and an alcohol
- reflux with dilute alkali (i.e. NaOH)
why is the base hydrolysis of esters, not a reversible reaction?
- carboxylic acid salt product is anion of the carboxylic acid
- anion is resistant to attack by weak nucleophiles like alcohols, so reaction not reversible.
fatty acids are long chains of what?
carboxylic acids
- they combine with glycerol to make esters