Estersynthese?

In order to prepare the reaction equation for the acid condensation of methanol and salicylic acid, we must calculate the number of atoms for each atom in the starting and end compounds and ensure that they match. Here is the steps:

Write the formulae for both starting compounds:

C7H6O3 (salicylic acid) and CH3 OH (methanol)

Write the formula for the end compounds:

C9H8O3 (ester) and H2O (water)

Check the number of atoms for each element in the output and end connections:

C: The number of carbon atoms should be equal, i.e. 7 + 1 = 8

H: The number of hydrogen atoms should be the same, i.e. 6 + 6 = 12

O: The number of oxygen atoms should be equal, i.e. 3 + 2 = 5

Write the reaction equation in such a way that the number of atoms on both sides corresponds:

C7H6O3 + CH3OH → C9H8O3 + H2O