Acid catalyzed esterification?

Question

in this lab i have to synthesize an ester from an unknown alcohol using acid catalyzed esterification and then isolate the product.

could someone explain this lab?

what is esterification?

what is the point of this?

i don't understand

Answer 1

Esterification is the process of making an ester. A well known method for making esters is by the process to which you are referring. This process invovles acid-catalyzed esterification of a carboxylic acid (R-COOH) with an alcohol (R-OH) under refluxing conditions and is known as a Fischer Esterification. The reaction mechanism of the Fischer Esterification is as follows...

RCOOH (carboxylic acid) + R'OH (alcohol) + H(+) (acid; usually sulfuric acid) --> RCOOR' (ester) + H2O

I will need to know a little more detail about the lab before I can elaborate on what you are supposed to do. Do you know the structure of the carboxylic that you are esterifying? How are you supposed to determine what your product is? (by proton NMR, by melting point? by IR, etc).