[1] these compounds contain a distinctive functional group. Ethyl acetate, for instance, is a commonly used solvent, and dialkyl phthalates are used as plasticizers to keep polymers from becoming brittle. Ester, any of a class of organic compounds that react with water to produce alcohols and organic or inorganic acids
Picture of Ester Muniz
Esters derived from carboxylic acids are the most common
Learn about the different types and reactions of esters and more in this article.
An ester is an organic compound where the hydrogen in the compound's carboxyl group is replaced with a hydrocarbon group Esters are derived from carboxylic acids and (usually) alcohol. Key takeaway an ester has an or group attached to the carbon atom of a carbonyl group. The general structure of an ester is rcoor', where r and r' represent alkyl or aryl groups
Esters are derived from the condensation reaction between a carboxylic acid and an alcohol, resulting in the elimination of water. This could be an alkyl group like methyl or ethyl, or one containing a benzene ring like phenyl. In an ester, the second oxygen atom bonds to another carbon atom (figure 25.5a.) The names for esters include prefixes that denote the lengths of the carbon chains in the molecules and are derived following nomenclature rules similar to those for inorganic acids and salts.
In this tutorial you will learn about the basic properties and structure of an ester functional group
You will also learn about esterification and its mechanism. The ester linkage is also present in animal fats and in many biologically important molecules The chemical industry uses esters for a variety of purposes
