Predict and balance the following organic reactions.

1. Ethanol(ethyl alcohol) and methanoic acid(formic acid) are mixed and warmed.
2. Ethanoic acid is combined with propanol.

1 answer

An organic acid is RCOOH (where R can be anything except a functional group).
An alcohol is R'OH (where R' is anything except a functional group and the prime is used to show that it MAY be different than the first R).
RCOOH + R'OH ==> RCOOR' + H2O
Now all you need to do is fill in the R and R' groups. This is a general formula.