In the esterification reaction of alcohols

Options

A. `1 ^(@) gt 2 ^(@) gt 3^(@)`
B. `3^(@) gt 2^(@) gt 1^(@)`
C. Same in all cases
D. `2^(@) gt 3^(@) gt 1^(@)`

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding Esterification Reaction:**
- Esterification is a chemical reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid (or its derivatives) to form an ester and water. The general reaction can be represented as:
\[ \text{R-OH} + \text{R'-COOH} \rightarrow \text{R'-COOR} + \text{H}_2\text{O} \]
- Here, R represents the alkyl group from the alcohol and R' represents the alkyl group from the carboxylic acid.

2. **Reactants Involved:**
- The reactants in the esterification process can include:
- Alcohols (R-OH)
- Carboxylic acids (R'-COOH)
- Acid chlorides (R'-COCl)
- Acid anhydrides (R'-CO-O-COR')
- The presence of a catalyst, such as concentrated sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) or pyridine, can help drive the reaction forward by removing water.

3. **Mechanism of Reaction:**
- In the reaction, the hydroxyl group (-OH) from the carboxylic acid and a hydrogen atom from the alcohol combine to form water (H₂O).
- The remaining parts of the alcohol and carboxylic acid combine to form the ester (R'-COOR).

4. **Factors Affecting Esterification:**
- The acidity of the alcohol affects the reaction. The order of reactivity for alcohols in esterification is influenced by their structure:
- Primary alcohols (1°) are more reactive than secondary alcohols (2°), which are more reactive than tertiary alcohols (3°).
- This is due to steric hindrance; as the number of alkyl groups around the hydroxyl group increases, the reactivity decreases.

5. **Order of Esterification:**
- The relative order of esterification for alcohols can be summarized as:
\[ \text{Primary (1°) > Secondary (2°) > Tertiary (3°)} \]
- This means that primary alcohols are the most reactive in esterification reactions, followed by secondary, and tertiary alcohols are the least reactive.

6. **Conclusion:**
- Therefore, in the esterification reaction of alcohols, the order of reactivity is:
\[ \text{1° Alcohol > 2° Alcohol > 3° Alcohol} \]