7.9 - Esters

What an ester is

An ester is a compound made when a carboxylic acid and an alcohol react together.

Ethyl ethanoate

• The ester to know is ethyl ethanoate, made from ethanoic acid and ethanol.
• Its name records where each half came from:
  • Ethyl - From the ethanol
  • Ethanoate - From the ethanoic acid
• The molecule is built in two halves joined through an oxygen atom and contains four carbon atoms in total.