Fischer esterification by microwave irradiation: A simplified technique for the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory

CHED 244

Karen Goodwin, ochemgoddess1@aol.com and Cynthia Kellen-Yuen, ckyuen@csus.edu. Department of Chemistry, California State University, Sacramento, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819-6057
Although microwave esterification methods exist in the literature, they include many features which make them impractical for use in the undergraduate teaching lab, particularly at non-research facilities. A simplified method has therefore been designed and tested by two groups of students enrolled in organic chemistry at a community college. This method was optimized for synthesis of esters formed from volatile reagents, rendering the process more versatile than current literature procedures. The crude products were purified by chromatography or distillation, and then analyzed by boiling point, GC, IR, and NMR, adding to the method's usefulness as an educational tool.