The acid-catalyzed esterification reaction between ethanol (C2H5OH) and acetic acid (CH3COOH) produces ethyl acetate (CH3COOC2H5) and water (H2O). In the presence of a strong acid such as H+, the carbonyl oxygen of acetic acid is protonated, increasing the electrophilicity of the carbonyl carbon. This facilitates nucleophilic attack by ethanol, forming a tetrahedral intermediate, which subsequently eliminates H2O and regenerates the catalyst H+. The overall reaction can be represented as:
C2H5OH + CH3COOH ⇌ CH3COOC2H5 + H2O
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