Analía Bellizzi – Chemistry Classes

Ronald Reagan Senior High School

Carboxylic Acids

Describe the properties of aqueous ethanoic acid

● Ethanoic acid is a member of the carboxylic acids, they have the functional group –COOH.

 It dissolves in water to produce an acidic solution (Extended only) Describe the formation of ethanoic aci

● First four members are: methanoic acid, ethanoic acid, propanoic acid and butanoic acid

Describe the formation of ethanoic acid by the oxidation of ethanol by fermentation and with acidified potassium manganate(VII)

● Ethanol reacts with oxygen in the air to form ethanoic acid (microbial oxidation)

● Ethanol reacts with acidified potassium manganate(VII) to form ethanoic acid 

Describe ethanoic acid as…

● A typical weak acid

● this means ethanol will release some H+ ions in solution, but will not fully dissociate (loses the H + from the COOH group)

● Carboxylic acids react with alcohols in the presence of an acid catalyst to
produce esters…

o They have the functional group –COO-.
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● name:

o first part is from alcohol e.g. methanol → methyl

o second part is from carboxylic acid e.g. butanoic acid→ butanoate

Esters with Methanoic acid: 

Esters with Ethanoic acid: 

Esters with propanoic acid: