Acetic acid is converted into acetyl chloride using which reagent?
Correct answer: A. thionyl chloride
- A. thionyl chloride
- B. chlorine
- C. sodium chloride
- D. phosphorous trioxide
Explanation
Thionyl chloride, SOCl2, converts acetic acid into acetyl chloride, and its by products SO2 and HCl are gases, which makes the acid chloride easy to purify. Chlorine and sodium chloride do not replace the OH group, and phosphorus trichloride or pentachloride, not phosphorus trioxide, are the other standard reagents.
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About Carboxylic Acid Derivatives
Carboxylic acid derivatives include acid halides, acid anhydrides, esters and amides, formed by replacing the hydroxyl group of a carboxylic acid. Their nomenclature, structures, preparation, hydrolysis and relative reactivity are linked through nucleophilic acyl substitution, which differs from the nucleophilic addition reactions of aldehydes and ketones.
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