Overall, a ester was produced using a condensation reaction. 1-pentanol and ethanoic acid combined and produced pentyl ethanoic, which is used as a flavouring agent such as bananas. The chemical/word equation is C5H11[OH] (1-pentanol) + CH3COOH (ethanoic acid) => H2O (water) + C7H14O2 (pentyl ethanoate) and this equation is already balanced. ESTER SYNTHESIS RESULTED MOLECULE (FORMULA) NAME STRUCTURAL DIAGRAM CONDENSED LINE Bananas C7H14O2 Pentyl Ethanoate CH3COO[CH2]4CH3 Also, a chart could be used to confirm the distinct scent of the esterification was bananas, shown in Fig. 3. Discussion: It was estimated that 1-pentanol and ethanoic acid would combined together and produce an ester, which in this case did because …show more content…
For instance, after 24 hours, the scent was stronger but there was still that significant vinegar scent possibly, from the ethanoic acid. This could be due to the significant amount of water present in the test tube that causes the ester to react and therefore, started to reverse the reaction. This type of reaction is known as a hydrolysis (amides) and this is where water adds to a bond (an ester), splitting into two and therefore, produces a carboxylic acid and alcohol. An example could be water and methyl ethanoate producing ethanoic acid and methanol. Furthermore, there was errors following along the condenser tube. Due to the fact that it was rolled in paper towel and had to be moist in order for it to be efficient, could have potentially been the reason why the reaction reversed. The gas could have escaped, being unable to condense the gas and therefore, causing an imbalance of the products and produced more water than actually expected. The use of the test tube also could have altered the overall result of the scent because there was no dripping of water and therefore, the gas must have escaped and potentially be the reason why the scent had a bit of a strong vinegar to it. Another instance that could have occurred is due to the overall chemical structure of the alcohol and the acid that was used in the esterification reaction that could have effects its rate. For example, simple …show more content…
To achieve this was through the ability to record observations of all the scents of each compound used to differ from the result scent to allow efficient and accurate results. To support the outcome, writing out a diagram of the esterification with the reactants and products, along with the process as well supported the conclusion of esterification reaction. Furthermore, the examination of the scent was mostly the scent predicted. However, there was a scent that differs from it and could have been through human or experimental errors. Despite this, the understanding of the presence of water in this type of reaction also makes the examination of the scent clear as to why it differs. Through further investigation, it could have potentially the reverse reaction, known as a hydrolysis and was confirmed through putting the products down the drain. Overall, the most important finding in the lab was observing if a chemical change has occurred. When identifying the chemical change, it helped determine if the esterification did take