UNIT 2 : Esters Flashcards
What are esters?
Esters are compounds with sweet smells and are used to add flavour/smell to products we eat/use
How are esters made?
Combining and alcohol and a carboxylic acid
What is the other product created on the production of an ester?
Water
What is used as a catalyst in the production of an ester?
Hydrogen ions (H+ ions)
For example, Concentrated Sulphuric Acid
What actually happens in the production of an ester?
The hydroxyl group of the acid bonds with the hydrogen from the hyrdoxyl group of the alcohol. These elements combine to make water
( H + OH)
How is an ester named?
To name an ester, we take the start of the name of the Alcohol and add -yl to the end of it. We then take the startof the name of the Carboxylic Acid and add -oate to the end of it
eg. Ethanol + Methanoic Acid —> Ethyl Methanoate
Why is using a water bath a good method of making an ester?
It is a gentle method of heating and it can be set too an appropriate temperature
What type of reaction is the production of an ester and what happens in it?
Condensation
Condensation is building a lager molecule from two smaller molecules by eliminating the water molecules between them, usually water is produced as a bi-product
Why is the production of an ester marked by two adjacent arrows pointing in opposite directions from one another?
Because it’s a equilibrium/reversible reaction
What is meant by a volatile substance?
A substance is one which evaporates very quickly
What is the method used to heat volatile liquids?
Refluxing
How does refluxing work in a basic form?
A boiling tube has a volatile liquid in it and is put in a hot water bath. The boiling tube has a wet paper towel wrapped around the top of it so that when the volatile liquid evaporates it cools down and turns back into a liquid
What is evaporation?
Evaporation is loss of either reactant or product (or both) due to them heating up and turning into gases
How does a condenser work?
As a volatile liquid evaporates, it passes through a tube which is submerged is could water and thus cools the gas back down to a liquid
