Page 2: Ester Nomenclature, Hydrolysis, and Introduction to Fats
This page discusses ester naming conventions, hydrolysis of esters, and introduces the concept of fats.
Esters are named based on the parent carboxylic acid and the alkyl group from the alcohol. For example, CH₃COOCH₂CH₃ is called ethyl ethanoate (or ethyl acetate).
Esters undergo hydrolysis reactions, which can be either acid-catalyzed or base-catalyzed:
- Acid hydrolysis (reversible): Ester + Water → Carboxylic acid + Alcohol
- Base hydrolysis (irreversible): Ester + Sodium hydroxide → Sodium salt of acid + Alcohol
Definition: Hydrolysis - A reaction in which a compound is broken down by reaction with water
Fats are esters of glycerol (C₃H₈O₃) and higher carboxylic acids (fatty acids). They can be simple (with identical fatty acid chains) or mixed (with different fatty acid chains).
Example: Tripalmitylglycerol is a simple fat with three palmitic acid chains esterified to glycerol
The general formula for fats is:
CH₂-O-CO-R₁
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CH-O-CO-R₂
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CH₂-O-CO-R₃
Where R₁, R₂, and R₃ are long-chain alkyl groups from fatty acids.