2, 4, 6-trimethylbenzoic acid is quite difficult to esterify. Assign reason.

Explanation

To understand why 2, 4, 6-trimethylbenzoic acid is difficult to esterify, we can break down the explanation into several steps:

### Step 1: Structure of 2, 4, 6-trimethylbenzoic acid
2, 4, 6-trimethylbenzoic acid consists of a benzene ring with three methyl (–CH₃) groups attached at the 2, 4, and 6 positions, along with a carboxylic acid (–COOH) group. The presence of these methyl groups is crucial in understanding the reactivity of the molecule.

### Step 2: Electron-donating effect of methyl groups
Methyl groups are electron-donating groups. When they are attached to the benzene ring, they increase the electron density on the ring and also on the carboxylic acid functional group (–COOH). This increase in electron density affects the acidity and reactivity of the carboxylic acid.

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