Question

Fischer esterification Reaction: n-Butyl Acetate

Which one of the following choices describes most accurately the actual, internal reaction temperature (in other words, the temperature of the reaction mixture inside the reaction vial) for this Fischer esterification? Select one (include the letter AND answer in your response), and explain your answer.

a) Boiling point of n-butyl acetate (124-126 °C)
b) Boiling point of acetic acid (117 °C)
c) Boiling point of 1-butanol (116-118 °C)
d) Boiling point of the reaction mixture (reflux temperature)
e) Sand bath temperature (160-180 °C)

Answer 1

d) Boiling point of the reaction mixture (reflux temperature)

Many organic reactions are unreasonably slow and can take an extended period of time to achieve any noticeable effect so heating is often used to increase the rate of reaction. However, many organic compounds have low boiling points and will vaporise upon exposure to such high heat, preventing the reaction from proceeding in full. To address this, heating under reflux is used. This refers to heating a solution with an attached condenser to prevent reagents from escaping. As seen above, any vapour will condense on the cool surface of the attached condenser and flow back into the flask.