Consider the reaction of ethanoyl chloride with methanol shown below. What product(s) may you expect to be formed from the reaction?

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First, consider the reaction type: ethanoyl chloride (CH3COCl) reacting with methanol (CH3OH) in the presence of an acid catalyst. This is a typical acyl substitution where the chloride leaving group is replaced by an alkoxy group, yielding an ester and releasing HCl.

Option a: All three products A, B and C. This would require multiple competing reaction pathways leading to different ester or side products. In a straightforward acyl chloride + alcohol reaction, the sole organic product is the corresponding ester. Without alternative nucleophiles or catalysts promoting other transformations, producing three distinct products is unlikely. Therefore this option is not supported.

Option b: Product B only. If only one product forms, it must correspond exactly to the depicted B structure. However, the standard reaction of an acyl chloride with an alcohol gives the simple ester corresponding to the alcohol used. Since methanol provides a methyl group as the alkoxy, the main expected product is the methyl ester of acetic acid. If B is not the methyl acetate structure, this option would be incorrect.

Option c: Product C only. Similar reasoning as for option b applies: the expected ester from acetyl chloride and methanol is methyl acetate. If C represents a different ester or a carbonate/other product, this option would be incorrect.

Option d: Product A only. This aligns with the canonical outcome: acetyl chloride + methanol yields methyl acetate (the ester) and HCl as the inorganic byproduct. There is typically no other organic product formed in this simple esterification of an acyl chloride with a simple alcohol under standard conditions, so this option is consistent with known mechanism.

Option e: Mixture of products A and B. For a mixture to occur, there would need to be another competing pathway producing B in addition to A, which is not part of the typical acetyl chloride + methanol reaction. Absent additional reactants or catalysts, the most probable single organic product is A, not a mixture.

In summary, the reaction of ethanoyl chloride with methanol proceeds via nucleophilic acyl substitution to give methyl acetate (A) as the ester, with HCl as a side inorganic byproduct. The other options propose multiple products or misidentified substances that do not fit the standard mechanism of an acyl chloride reacting with an alcohol.

MCD4400 Chemistry II - Trimester 3 - 2025

Consider the reaction of ethanoyl chloride with methanol shown below. What product(s) may you expect to be formed from the reaction?

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