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CAIE IGCSE Chemistry 11.2.4 Displayed formulae of the unbranched

CAIE IGCSE Chemistry 11.2.4 Displayed formulae of the unbranched
Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry 0620 syllabus for exams in 2026, 2027 and 20282026–2028

Practise naming and drawing ester structures made from short unbranched alcohols and carboxylic acids.

How this is tested

  • name esters by linking the alcohol alkyl group to the acid-derived alkanoate name
  • draw displayed ester formulae with the correct -COO- linkage and carbon chain lengths
  • choose the ester formed from a given alcohol and carboxylic acid pair

Question 4(b)

[Maximum number: 1]

A carboxylic acid reacts with an alcohol to produce an ester and water.
Under certain conditions, this reaction can be reversed so an ester reacts with water to produce a carboxylic acid X and an alcohol Y.

The reaction reaches an equilibrium.

CH3CH2COOCH3+H2O⇌X+Y\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{COOCH}_{3}+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O} \rightleftharpoons \mathbf{X}+\mathbf{Y}

The forward reaction is endothermic.

Name the ester.