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Synthesis of Esters

  • Page ID
    820
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    • Acetoacetic Ester Synthesis
      Acetoacetic ester (ethyl acetoacetate) is an extremely useful molecule that can be used to make ketones and other molecules. You’ll even use this later on in amino acid synthesis, so let’s break down the way it reacts.
    • Esterification
      The π bond of the carbonyl group can act as a base to a strong inorganic acid due to the distortion of the electrons from the electronegativity difference between the oxygen atom and the carbon atom and also the resonance dipole. The cation produced in the reaction with sulfuric acid will have resonance stabilization.
    • Making Esters From Alcohols
      This page looks at esterification - mainly the reaction between alcohols and carboxylic acids to make esters. It also looks briefly at making esters from the reactions between acyl chlorides (acid chlorides) and alcohols, and between acid anhydrides and alcohols.
    • Preparation of Esters
      This page describes ways of making esters in the lab from alcohols and phenols using carboxylic acids, acyl chlorides (acid chlorides) or acid anhydrides as appropriate.
    • Synthesis of Esters
      Carboxylic acids can react with alcohols to form esters.


    Synthesis of Esters is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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