Acetic anhydride is prepared in the laboratory by heating sodium acetate with

Options

A. Ethyl chloride
B. Acetyl chloride
C. conc. `H_(2)SO_(4)`
D. Zinc dust

Answer

To prepare acetic anhydride in the laboratory by heating sodium acetate, we need to identify the appropriate reactant that will react with sodium acetate. The process can be broken down into the following steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Reactants
- Sodium acetate has the formula CH₃COONa.
- Acetic anhydride has the formula (CH₃CO)₂O.

### Step 2: Identify the Reactant
- The common reactant used to prepare acetic anhydride from sodium acetate is acetyl chloride (CH₃COCl).

### Step 3: Write the Reaction
- When sodium acetate reacts with acetyl chloride, the reaction can be represented as follows:

\[ CH₃COONa + CH₃COCl \rightarrow (CH₃CO)₂O + NaCl \]

### Step 4: Analyze the Reaction
- In this reaction, sodium acetate reacts with acetyl chloride to form acetic anhydride and sodium chloride (NaCl) as a byproduct.
- The sodium acetate provides the acetate ion (CH₃COO⁻), while acetyl chloride provides the acetyl group (CH₃CO).

### Step 5: Conclusion
- Therefore, the reactant that is used to prepare acetic anhydride from sodium acetate upon heating is **acetyl chloride**.

### Final Answer
The correct answer is acetyl chloride.

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