Question

What happens when (write chemical equation) acetic acid is heated with ethyl alcohol in the presence of conc. H₂SO₄?

Answer 1

When acetic acid is heated with ethyl alcohol in the presence of concentrated H₂SO₄, an esterification reaction occurs. The two compounds react to form ethyl acetate (an ester with a fruity smell) and water.

\[\ce{\underset{Acetic acid}{CH3COOH} + \underset{Ethyl alcohol}{C2H5OH} ->[conc{.} H2SO4, Δ][]\underset{Ethyl acetate}{CH3COOC2H5} + H2O}\]