Consider the following reaction pathway to produce an ester. What is compound B?

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The question asks us to identify compound B in a reaction pathway that produces an ester. Based on typical esterification logic, an ester is formed from an alcohol reacting with a carboxylic acid (or derivative) to form the ester linkage. Among the options, only one species is an alcohol that would act as the alcohol component in such a condensation step.

Option a: ethanal. Ethanal is an aldehyde, not an alcohol, so it would not be the species that acts as the alcohol component in a standard esterification to give an ester. Using ethanal could lead to other reactions (e.g., oxidation or aldol-type chemistry), but not the direct formation of a simple ester via acid + alcohol condensation.

Option b: ethane. Ethane is a simple alkane with no functional group capable of forming an ester in a typical esterification. It would be chemically unreactive under standard esterification conditions toward forming an ester, so it cannot be B in the context of producing an ester.

Option c: ethanol. Ethanol is a two-carbon alcohol (CH3CH2OH) and is exactly the kind of reagent that provides the alkoxy (–OEt) component in the ester product when reacting with a carboxylic acid (e.g., ethanoic acid) under esterification conditions. This aligns with the common esterification pathway to make esters such as ethyl ethanoate from ethanol and ethanoic acid.

Option d: ethanoic acid. Ethanoic acid (acetic acid) is a carboxylic acid, the other reactant in esterification, and would provide the acyl portion (–COCH3) of the ester rather than the alkoxy alcohol portion. If the question’s pathway aims to form an ester with an alcohol component, ethanoic acid would not be the alcohol reagent required for the ester’s alkoxy group, so it is not B in this context.

In summary, the only option that properly serves as the alcohol component necessary to form an ester in the described pathway is ethanol (option c). The other options correspond to species that do not provide the correct functional role (aldehyde, alkane, or carboxylic acid) for the standard esterification process.

MUF0042 Chemistry Unit 2 - Semester 2, 2025 3.15 Quiz: Reaction Pathways

Consider the following reaction pathway to produce an ester. What is compound B?

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