Ethanoic Acid & Esterification Reactions (Cambridge (CIE) O Level Chemistry): Revision Note

Formation of Ethanoic Acid

Making Carboxylic Acids

• Two methods used to make carboxylic acids are:

  • Oxidation by fermentation

  • Using oxidising agents 

• The microbial oxidation (fermentation) of ethanol will produce a weak solution of vinegar (ethanoic acid)

• This occurs when a bottle of wine is opened as bacteria in the air (acetobacter) will use atmospheric oxygen from air to oxidise the ethanol in the wine

C₂H₅OH (aq) + O₂ (g) → CH₃COOH (aq)+ H₂O (l)

• The acidic, vinegary taste of wine which has been left open for several days is due to the presence of ethanoic acid

• Alternatively, oxidising agent potassium manganate(VII) can be used 

• This involves heating ethanol with acidified potassium manganate(VII) in the presence of an acid 

• The heating is performed under reflux which involves heating the reaction mixture in a vessel with a condenser attached to the top

• The condenser prevents the volatile alcohol from escaping the reaction vessel as alcohols have low boiling points

• The equation for the reaction is:

CH₃CH₂OH (aq) + [O]  →  CH₃COOH (aq) + H₂O (l)

• The solution will change from purple to colourless

• The oxidising agent is represented by the symbol for oxygen in square brackets 

  

Diagram showing the experimental setup for the oxidation with KMnO₄ using reflux apparatus

Esterification

• Alcohols and carboxylic acids react to make esters in esterification reactions

• Esters are compounds with the functional group R-COO-R

• Esters are sweet-smelling oily liquids used in food flavourings and perfumes

• Ethanoic acid will react with ethanol in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid (catalyst) to form ethyl ethanoate:

CH₃COOH (aq) + C₂H₅OH (aq)  ⇌  CH₃COOC₂H₅ (aq) + H₂O (l)

Diagram showing the formation of ethyl ethanoate

• For more information on how esters are named, see our revision note on Naming Esters