Esters lab quiz flashcards

What is the most common way to form esters?

reacting carboxylic acids with an alcohol in the presence of a catalyst

Which compound is used in excess for this reaction?

Acetic acid is used in excess

What is the specific alcohol that you used?

n-nonanol

What is a catalyst used for this reaction?

PTSA (p-toluenesulfonicacid)

Why is this experiment an example of “green chemistry”

It is an example of green chemistry because the energy comes from a microwave and there are no organic solvents used to isolate the compound

Why do you need to irradiate on low power?

Because irradiating on high power will cause the product to burn up and not be usable

Why is sodium bicarbonate and water used?

These compounds are used to wash away any of the excess carboxylic acid and catalyst

What peaks should predominate on the IR of an ester?

• A very large peak around the 1700 range (C=O bond)

• A very large peak in the 1300-1000 range (C-O bond)

• Large peak in the 2900 range (Sp3 bonds)

Why is excess reagent needed for this reaction?

excess reagent is needed to drive the reaction towards product formation

Why is the ester product washed so many times with sodium bicarbonate?

It’s washed many times with sodium bicarbonate to get rid of any left over carboxylic acid

Why are smaller alcohols not used for this reaction?

Smaller alcohols are more volatile and have lower boiling points, so it would be hard to achieve a good yield because it can evaporate unless its controlled.