Esters Flashcards
What are esters?
Esters are compounds with the functional group R-COO-R. They are sweet-smelling oily liquids used in food flavorings and perfumes.
How are esters made?
Esters are made by the reaction between alcohols and carboxylic acids in an esterification reaction.
How are esters named?
The first part of the name indicates the length of the carbon chain in the alcohol, and it ends with the letters ‘-yl’. The second part indicates the length of the carbon chain in the carboxylic acid, and it ends with ‘-oate’.
Give an example of an esterification reaction.
Ethanoic acid will react with ethanol in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid (catalyst) to form ethyl ethanoate:
CH3COOH + C2H5OH → CH3COOC2H5 + H2O
Name the ester formed from pentanol and butanoic acid
The ester formed from pentanol and butanoic acid is called pentyl butanoate.
Write the formula of the ester functional group.
The formula of the ester functional group is R-COO-R.
Define an esterification reaction
A reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid to form an ester.
What catalyst is needed for esterification reactions?
Concentrated sulfuric acid is used as a catalyst for esterification reactions.
How is ethyl ethanoate formed?
Ethyl ethanoate is formed by the reaction between ethanoic acid and ethanol.
True or False?
Esters have low boiling points.
True.
Esters have low boiling points, making them volatile.
