Answer to Question #180130 in Organic Chemistry for basem

Question

1.     Explain briefly about esters being hydrolyzed. Draw an example reaction equation to illustrate your explanation.

Answer 1

Esters are neutral compounds, unlike the acids from which they are formed. In typical reactions, the alkoxy (OR′) group of an ester is replaced by another group. One such reaction is hydrolysis, literally “splitting with water.” The hydrolysis of esters is catalyzed by either an acid or a base.