In this ester reaction, an alcohol (1-pentanol) is used to react with an excess amount of acetic acid with the addition of a strong acid to act as the catalyst. These reactions are all carried out in a reflux apparatus to synthesis acetate, or in this case Pentyl Acetate via exergonic reactions favoring the product. This reaction follows Le Chatelie’s principle by adjusting itself to minimize stress in a molecule. In the reaction with glacial acetic acid and isopentanol, the equilibrium can be disturbed is many ways just by changing the concentration of the acetic acid, isopentanol, or water. So to increase the highest yield of ester, a large amount of acetic acid is used to push the reaction to the right. The reaction is heated to 180C and
