Isopentyl Acetate Synthesis Lab Report

The objective of this experiment was the synthesis of Isopentyl Acetate using an esterification reaction between acetic acid and Isopentyl Alcohol, using a strong acid as a catalyst. The product was washed, and distilled. This approach is called Fisher esterification, whereby esters are produced by the esterification of a Carboxylic acid where it is heated with an alcohol in the presence of a strong acid which acts as a catalyst. The ester produced had a banana flavor.
The extraction of the crude product was conducted using sodium bicarbonate followed by distillation. The resulting product obtained was 4.491g of Isopentyl Acetate, indicating a 70.02 percent yield. Based on the IR data, it was verified that the end products were as desired. The Isopentyl Acetate carbonyl bond was evaluated to be around 1742.88 cm-1. This indicated that the carbonyl from acetic acid had been utilized. In addition, the stretches of C-H and C-O
The percent yield was 70 percent. Separation of the crude product was conducted by extraction using a separatory funnel, and drying was done by using sodium carbonate. The purification was conducted using distillation. Since esterification reactions are slow, they need a catalyst like inorganic acids. The reactants need to be refluxed in order to increase the yield of the product. Reflux is technique used for distillation and its primary purpose is to supply energy to chemical reactions over an extended period of time. In most organic reactions, the reaction is very slow. To speed up the reaction, heating is generally used. Since many organic compounds are characterized by low boiling points, they vaporize when subjected to heat, thereby preventing the reaction to completion. To prevent this from happening, heating under reflux is used where a condenser is attached to prevent the reagents from