Overview:
The general
form of Fischer esterification mechanism is as follows:
The first
step involves protonation of the carbonyl oxygen, followed
by the nucleophillic attack of the alcohol.
Then a
loss and regain of a proton,
followed
by loss of water as electrons from the alcohol oxygen kick
down to form the double bond. Loss of a proton yields the
ester.
Example
of fischer esterification:
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