Alkanoates are produced from alkanols by esterification. Esterification is a chemical reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid, resulting in the formation of an ester and water. In this case, an alkanol (an alcohol with a carbon chain) reacts with a carboxylic acid to form an alkanoate (an ester with a carbon chain) and water. This process involves the removal of a hydroxyl (-OH) group from the alcohol and a hydrogen atom from the carboxylic acid, which then combine to form water. The remaining portions of the alcohol and carboxylic acid combine to form the ester (alkanoate).