Esterification Chapter reaction mechanisms

A literature survey more than 90 relevant references has been done in this chapter. The studies on esterification are mainly focused on the following aspects (1) establishing the adequate reaction mechanism according to the research papers, and (2) evaluating the available esterification kinetics. 

The mechanisms of the Fischer esterification and the reactions of alcohols with acyl chlorides and acid anhydrides will be discussed m detail m Chapters 19 and 20 after some fundamental principles of carbonyl group reactivity have been developed For the present it is sufficient to point out that most of the reactions that convert alcohols to esters leave the C—O bond of the alcohol intact... 

The most apparent chemical property of carboxylic acids their acidity has already been examined m earlier sections of this chapter Three reactions of carboxylic acids—con version to acyl chlorides reduction and esterification—have been encountered m pre vious chapters and are reviewed m Table 19 5 Acid catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acids IS one of the fundamental reactions of organic chemistry and this portion of the chapter begins with an examination of the mechanism by which it occurs Later m Sec tions 19 16 and 19 17 two new reactions of carboxylic acids that are of synthetic value will be described... 

Many of the common condensation polymers are listed in Table 1-1. In all instances the polymerization reactions shown are those proceeding by the step polymerization mechanism. This chapter will consider the characteristics of step polymerization in detail. The synthesis of condensation polymers by ring-opening polymerization will be subsequently treated in Chap. 7. A number of different chemical reactions may be used to synthesize polymeric materials by step polymerization. These include esterification, amidation, the formation of urethanes, aromatic substitution, and others. Polymerization usually proceeds by the reactions between two different functional groups, for example, hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, or isocyanate and hydroxyl groups. 

Many reactions are catalysed by acids. Hydrolysis of esters and the reverse reaction, esterification, are important examples both in the laboratory and in living systems (reaction 5.38). In the forward direction, the initial rate is proportional to [H30 + ][71] in the reverse direction the kinetic dependence is on [H30+][74][Et0H]. By the principle of microscopic reversibility (Chapter 1), the reaction must have the same mechanism in both directions. The third-order kinetic dependence of... 

From the point of view of atherosclerosis, the two most important peripheral trafficking pathways are those to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where cholesterol is esterified by acyl-CoA cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT), and to the plasma membrane, where cholesterol can be transferred to extracellular acceptors in a process known as cholesterol efflux (Chapter 20). The former process leads to the massive CE accumulation seen in foam cells [14-16]. The ACAT reaction utilizes primarily oleoyl-CoA, thus ACAT-derived CE is rich in oleate. In contrast, plasma lipoprotein-CE tends to be rich in linoleate. As expected, therefore, the cholesteryl oleatexholesteryl linoleate ratio in foam cell-rich fatty streak lesions — 1.9 — is relatively high [17]. However, the ratio in advanced lesions is only 1.1, suggesting an increase in lipoprotein-CE in advanced atheromata due to poor cellular uptake of lipoproteins or to defective lysosomal hydrolysis following uptake by lesional cells. Further discussion of the cholesterol esterification pathway appears in Chapter 15, and cholesterol efflux, which is an important mechanism that may prevent or reverse foam cell formation, is covered in Chapter 20. 

Although the previous two sections of this chapter emphasized hydrolytic processes, two mechanism that led to O or N-acylation were considered. In the discussion of acid-catalyzed ester hydrolysis, it was pointed out that this reaction is reversible (p. 654). Thus it is possible to acylate alcohols by acid-catalyzed reaction with a carboxylic acid. This is called the Fischer esterification method. To drive the reaction forward, the alcohol is usually used in large excess, and it may also be necessary to remove water as it is formed. This can be done by azeotropic distillation in some cases. 

This chapter s centerpiece is the Fischer esterification-acid hydrolysis equilibrium. If you know this pair of reactions well, you will have much of this chapter under control. The two mechanisms are exactly the reverse of each other—one is the forward reaction, the other is the backward reaction. 

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