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12 grade chemistry others

Why are acetyl chloride or acetic anhydride used instead of acetic acid in preparing esters of acetic acid?

Aniket Singh

1 Year agoGrade

1 Answer

Askiitians Tutor Team

1 Year ago

Acetyl chloride or acetic anhydride are commonly used instead of acetic acid in preparing esters of acetic acid due to their reactivity and ability to function as acetylating agents. Here are a few reasons why they are preferred:

Reactivity: Acetyl chloride and acetic anhydride are both highly reactive compounds compared to acetic acid. This reactivity allows for faster reaction rates, which is desirable in industrial processes where efficiency is important.

Driving the reaction: Acetyl chloride and acetic anhydride readily donate acetyl groups, which can efficiently react with alcohols to form esters. Acetic acid, on the other hand, is a weaker acetylating agent and often requires a catalyst and longer reaction times to drive the esterification reaction to completion.

Avoiding side reactions: When using acetyl chloride or acetic anhydride, the by-products formed in the reaction are usually inorganic salts like hydrogen chloride or acetic acid, which can be easily separated from the desired ester product. In contrast, using acetic acid as the acetylating agent may lead to side reactions or the formation of unwanted by-products, which can complicate the purification process.

Efficiency: Acetyl chloride and acetic anhydride are often more cost-effective compared to acetic acid when considering the overall efficiency of the esterification process, particularly in large-scale industrial applications.

Overall, the use of acetyl chloride or acetic anhydride in esterification reactions offers advantages in terms of reactivity, yield, and efficiency compared to using acetic acid as the acetylating agent.

is Pradeep Chemistry+Ncert sufficient for all of the theory of Jee Mains Chemistry?

Hi, I’m a self-study JEE 2027 aspirant with a large 11th backlog. Since I don’t think 6–8 hour one-shots are sufficient to cover the full theory + breadth of problem types of a JEE chapter, I’ve shifted from lecture-based preparation to book-based self-study.

I have a problem with using NCERT as my primary chemistry source. In my experience, it is concise and information-heavy, but often lacks detailed explanations, systematic organisation of concepts, and categorisation of problem types. This seems especially problematic for Physical and Organic Chemistry, where I feel that simply reading NCERT may not give enough depth or problem-solving preparation.

So I’m considering this approach:

Pradeep Chemistry → complete the chapter thoroughly from Pradeep → then read NCERT for that chapter → solve JEE Main PYQs/problems.

My main question is:

Is Pradeep + NCERT sufficient as the complete theory source for JEE Main-level Chemistry?

In other words, after thoroughly completing a chapter from Pradeep and then NCERT, can I consider the theory part of that chapter complete for JEE Main, with only PYQs/problem practice remaining?

I’m asking specifically about JEE Main level, not Advanced.

Also, if Pradeep is not sufficient, what specific gap does it leave, and what would you recommend as a better book-based alternative for self-study?

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