In a a fischer esterification reaction: Why is it important to neutralize the re
ID: 551531 • Letter: I
Question
In a a fischer esterification reaction:
Why is it important to neutralize the reaction mixture during the workup?
1. Sulfuric acid is strong enough to dissolve glass and needs to be neutralized before the glassware loses its structural integrity.
2. It ensures that the ester is uncharged and therefore insoluble in water so that the product can be filtered.
3. Neutralization prevents the ester from undergoing the reverse reaction to regenerate the carboxylic acid starting material.
4. If the reaction were not neutralized, the final product would not be in the desired oxidation state.
Explanation / Answer
Ans 2) It ensures that the ester is uncharged and therefore insoluble in water so that the product can be filtered.
Na2CO3 is added to the mixture so that it can remove the proton , and neutralise the mixture. Due to this ester becomes insoluble in water , and begins to precipitate which can be filtered out then easily.