Which of the following compounds would react with ethanoic acid to give a sweet smelling liquid?
Answer Details
The compound that would react with ethanoic acid to give a sweet smelling liquid is an alkanol.
An alkanol is an organic compound that has a hydroxyl (-OH) group attached to an alkyl group. When an alkanol such as ethanol (C2H5OH) reacts with ethanoic acid (CH3COOH), the reaction is an esterification reaction, which produces an ester and water. The reaction is catalyzed by the presence of an acid, such as sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The general equation for this reaction is:
alcohol + carboxylic acid ⇌ ester + water
In this case, the reaction between ethanol and ethanoic acid produces the ester ethyl acetate, which has a sweet, fruity odor. This sweet smelling liquid is used in the production of perfumes, artificial flavors, and solvents.
Therefore, the compound that would react with ethanoic acid to give a sweet smelling liquid is an alkanol, which has a hydroxyl group (-OH) attached to an alkyl group.