15.5.1

Esters

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Esters

Esters are organic compounds formed by the reaction of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid.

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Functional group

  • The functional group of esters is -COO.
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Naming esters

  • There is a standard system for naming esters.
  • The first part of the name is formed from the name of the alcohol. This part of the name is the name of the alcohol with ‘yl’ at the end instead of ‘ol’.
  • The second part of the name for an ester comes from the carboxylic acid. The name removes the ‘oic’ part and replaces it with the ending ‘oate’.
    • E.g ethanol + propanoic acid → ethyl propanoate.
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Properties

  • Esters are useful because they have strong distinctive ‘fruity’ smells.
  • They are volatile, which means they are liquids that become vapours easily. This means their smell can spread easily.
  • Esters are often used in perfumes and in food flavourings.

Jump to other topics

1States of Matter

2Elements, Compounds & Mixtures

3Atomic Structure

4The Periodic Table

5Chemical Formulae, Equations & Calculations

6Bonding

7Electrolysis

8Groups of the Periodic Table

9The Atmosphere

10Reactivity Series

11Metal Extraction

12Acids & Alkalis

13Chemical Tests

14Physical Chemistry

15Organic Chemistry

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