Hydrolysis of Esters-Acid-Mechanism

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|THE MECHANISM FOR THE ACID CATALYSED HYDROLYSIS OF ESTERS |
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|This page looks in detail at the mechanism for the hydrolysis of esters in the presence of a dilute acid |
|(such as hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid) acting as the catalyst. It uses ethyl ethanoate as a typical|
|ester. |
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|The mechanism for the hydrolysis of ethyl ethanoate |
|A reminder of the facts |
|Ethyl ethanoate is heated under reflux with a dilute acid such as dilute hydrochloric acid or dilute |
|sulphuric acid. The ester reacts with the water present to produce ethanoic acid and ethanol. |
|Because the reaction is reversible, an equilibrium mixture is produced containing all four of the |
|substances in the equation. In order to get as much hydrolysis as possible, a large excess of water can be|
|used. The dilute acid provides both the acid catalyst and the water. |
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|The mechanism |
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| |Warning! This is a fairly complex mechanism, and is definitley NOT required for any UK A level |
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