Draw the condensed structures of the esters formed from the following reactants. Name the compound in each case.
(a) butanoic acid and methanol
To draw the condensed structure of the ester formed from butanoic acid and methanol, you need to understand the esterification reaction.
First, let's identify the structures of butanoic acid and methanol:
Butanoic Acid: CH3 - CH2 - CH2 - COOH
Methanol: CH3OH
Now let's proceed with the esterification reaction. In this reaction, the -OH group from the carboxylic acid (butanoic acid) combines with the -H group from the alcohol (methanol) and produces water (H2O) as a byproduct.
To form the ester, we combine the remaining parts of the two reactants. The butanoic acid loses its -OH group and the methanol loses its -H group. The remaining parts combine and form the ester.
The condensed structure of the ester formed from butanoic acid and methanol is:
CH3 - CH2 - CH2 - 3
In this structure, the -OH group from butanoic acid is replaced by the -OCH3 group from methanol. The resulting compound is named methyl butanoate, following the nomenclature rules for esters.
So, the compound formed from butanoic acid and methanol is called methyl butanoate.