Ehtanol reacts with acetic anhydride to give :

Options

A. Higher alcohol
B. Ether
C. Ester
D. Alkene

Answer

To determine what ethanol reacts with acetic anhydride to produce, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the Reactants
Ethanol (C2H5OH) and acetic anhydride (CH3COOCOCH3) are the two reactants involved in the reaction.

**Hint:** Always start by identifying the chemical structures of the reactants involved in the reaction.

### Step 2: Understand the Reaction Type
The reaction between ethanol and acetic anhydride is a nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction, where ethanol acts as a nucleophile and acetic anhydride acts as an electrophile.

**Hint:** Recognize that nucleophiles donate electron pairs to electrophiles, leading to the formation of new bonds.

### Step 3: Nucleophilic Attack
The oxygen atom in ethanol (C2H5OH) has a lone pair of electrons, which allows it to attack the carbonyl carbon of acetic anhydride. This results in the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate.

**Hint:** Look for the lone pairs on the nucleophile that allow it to attack the electrophile.

### Step 4: Formation of the Intermediate
When ethanol attacks acetic anhydride, a tetrahedral intermediate is formed. This intermediate has a negatively charged oxygen atom and a positively charged oxygen atom.

**Hint:** Keep track of the charges during the reaction as they can indicate the stability of intermediates.

### Step 5: Collapse of the Intermediate
The tetrahedral intermediate collapses, leading to the expulsion of an acetate ion (CH3COO-) and the formation of ethyl acetate (C2H5OCOCH3).

**Hint:** The leaving group is usually a stable ion or molecule that can be expelled from the reaction.

### Step 6: Final Products
The final products of the reaction are ethyl acetate (C2H5OCOCH3) and acetic acid (CH3COOH).

**Hint:** Always write down the final products clearly to confirm the outcome of the reaction.

### Conclusion
Thus, when ethanol reacts with acetic anhydride, the products formed are ethyl acetate and acetic acid.

**Final Answer:** Ethanol reacts with acetic anhydride to give ethyl acetate (an ester) and acetic acid.

---