Caproic Acid Synthesis Essay - 1648 Words

Introduction In this lab, caproic acid was synthesized in a multi-step process that involved the synthesis of three intermediates – diethyl n-butylmalonate, potassium n-butylmalonate, and n-butyl malonic acid respectively. An IR was used to characterize the starting material, n-bromobutane, and the first intermediate, diethyl n-butylmalonate; while IR and NMR were used to characterize the final product, caproic acid. Reactions, Mechanism and Theory Caproic acid a.k.a n-hexanoic acid is a carboxylic acid derived from hexane which has the general formula C5H11COOH. It is a colorless oily liquid with a really pungent odor associated with goats. Caproic acid was synthesized in a multi-step process which produced three intermediates -†¦show more content†¦20.34mL of diethyl malonate was added to the solution via the separatory funnel over a period of about fifteen minutes. Next, 35mL of EtOH and 14.5mL of n-BuBr were added to the mixture respectively. The solution was refluxed for 10 minutes using a heating mantle and then cooled on ice. The above mixture was later poured into 200ml of water and then transferred to a 500mL separatory funnel.