Base hydrolysis (saponification) of an ester with dilute NaOH yields which pair of products?

Master NCEA Level 3 Organic Chemistry Reaction Schemes. Prepare with multiple choice questions, complete with hints and detailed explanations. Ace your exam with our comprehensive tools!

Multiple Choice

Base hydrolysis (saponification) of an ester with dilute NaOH yields which pair of products?

Base hydrolysis (saponification) of an ester with dilute NaOH breaks the ester into a carboxylate salt and an alcohol. The hydroxide attacks the carbonyl, forming a tetrahedral intermediate that collapses to give the carboxylate ion and the alkoxide, which then picks up a sodium ion to become the carboxylate salt, while the alkoxide is released as the corresponding alcohol after proton transfer. With an ethyl ester, the carboxylate salt is sodium acetate and the alcohol released is ethanol. So the products are sodium acetate and ethanol. Under basic conditions you don’t get the free carboxylic acid, and you don’t obtain water as a product from the overall reaction; the specific pair shown aligns with the ester reacting to form the salt and the corresponding alcohol.

Base hydrolysis (saponification) of an ester with dilute NaOH breaks the ester into a carboxylate salt and an alcohol. The hydroxide attacks the carbonyl, forming a tetrahedral intermediate that collapses to give the carboxylate ion and the alkoxide, which then picks up a sodium ion to become the carboxylate salt, while the alkoxide is released as the corresponding alcohol after proton transfer. With an ethyl ester, the carboxylate salt is sodium acetate and the alcohol released is ethanol. So the products are sodium acetate and ethanol. Under basic conditions you don’t get the free carboxylic acid, and you don’t obtain water as a product from the overall reaction; the specific pair shown aligns with the ester reacting to form the salt and the corresponding alcohol.

More practice questions