Esterification+-+Lydia+and+Nathan

Esterification By Lydia and Nathan

Introduction Esterification is the addition of a carboxylic acid molecule and alcohol molecule to form an ester and water.

A [|Nucleophile]is an atom or molecule that gives an electron pair to form a covalent bond

[|Protonation]- the addition of a proton (hydrogen) to a molecule, atom, or ion that changes the charge.

With propanoic acid, there's a [|carbonyl] group and a hydroxide group. In the acid [|catalyst] (a [|strong acid] like H2SO4), a hydrogen gets donated to the methanoic acid. That is called protonation. This now makes the propanoic acid with a positive charge and an alcohol, 1,2-propanol.



The alcohol, methanol, gets added to the new alcohol, 1,2-propanol. The carbonyl group is changed to a hydroxide group. Now we have a more complicated molecule with three hydroxide groups, but the reaction isn't done.



The strong acid (now HSO 4 ) has a negative charge. To become neutral, the molecule will give a hydrogen to the acid to make it neutral.



Now the molecule consists of two hydroxide groups and an oxygen. A hydrogen from the sulfuric acid will add itself to a hydroxide and will now have a positive charge.



The last hydroxide group will now make a carbonyl group. The hydrogen in the carbonyl group will go to the acid to make it neutral. With this, an H 2 O is formed apart from the molecule and an ester is made.



Esterification does not react with a base. A base catalyst will take a proton from the carboxylic acid, which will make a [|carboxylate anion]. This does not react with a nucleophile.