Explain why benzamide is less readily hydrolysed than methyl Benzoate.

Explanation

Nitrogen is less electronegative than Oxygen and so nitrogen can donate its pair of electrons more easily than oxygen. So contribution of structure II towards the resonance hybrid of benzamide is much more than of strucutre IV towards the resonance hybrid of methyl nenzoate. Thus the magnitude of the- ve change on the carbonyl carbon of benzamide is much less that on carbonyl carbon of methyl benzoate so during hydrolysis the `ObarH` ion will attach the carbonyl carbon methyl benzoate more more readily than that of carbonyl carbon of benzamide. Hence methyl benzoate is easily hydrolysed than Benzamide.