Esters are volatile compounds with distinct smells and are commonly used in perfumes and flavourings. State the functional group present in an ester, name the two types of organic compound that react together to form an ester, and state the type of reaction by which an ester is formed.

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry (4CH1) — 4.7 Esters · State · 4 marks · View as Markdown

Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).

Model answer (4 marks)

Functional group: –COO–
Reactants: a carboxylic acid and an alcohol
Reaction type: condensation

Examiner tips

  • Use the exact wording – ‘–COO–’ for the functional group
  • Mention both reactants explicitly
  • State ‘condensation’ as the reaction type

Common mistakes

  • Writing ‘–COO’ instead of ‘–COO–’
  • Omitting the alcohol as a reactant
  • Calling the reaction ‘esterification’ instead of ‘condensation’

Mark scheme (4 marks)

  1. Functional group of an ester is –COO–
  2. A carboxylic acid is one of the reactants
  3. An alcohol is the other reactant
  4. The type of reaction is condensation (reaction)

Key terms in this question

ester · functional group

Related

More Esters questions

▶ Try answering this question with AI marking (free) →