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varon119
Nov 11, 2010, 10:16 PM
How do you form 2-propyl cyclopentylmethanoate and 2-butyl hexanoate? Which alcohol and acid is require to produce the ester? Thanks. Your input is appreciated.

Unknown008
Nov 11, 2010, 10:34 PM
2-propyl cyclopentylmethanoate

This is formed from the acid methanoic acid because you have 'methanoate'

Then, you have 2-propyl-cyclopentyl as the derivative of the alcohol. What do you think is the alcohol?

DrBob1
Nov 12, 2010, 08:05 AM
Long ago it was noticed that an ACID + a BASE made a SALT + water and that an ACID + an ALCOHOL made an ESTER + water. These can be written as, for instance, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) + acetic acid --> sodium acetate (CH3CO2Na) + H2O and Ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) + acetic acid --> ethyl acetate (CH3CO2C2H5)+ H2O. The ester got named like the salt. It stuck.
So here you have esters of 2-propylcyclopentanol and methanoic acid (formic acid) and another made from 2-butanol and hexanoic acid (caproic acid). [Check the spacing in the name of your first ester -- it's incorrect]
I'll bet they smell GOOD!