In this lab, fischer esterification is used to convert acetic acid and some unknown alcohol into esters to

produce a fragrance. 7 mL of glacial acetic acid (7.35 g) and 6 mL of an unknown alcohol were reacted

with p-Toluenesulfonic acid as catalyst to produce 78.9 g of product (percent yield of 96.3%. IR analysis

of the product to have C-O double bond, csp​3​-O bonds, csp​3​-H bonds, and csp​2​-O with corresponding

peaks at 1740, 1036, 1230, and 1740 cm​-1​ respectively. C​13​ NMR had 5 carbon peaks indicating a

structure with at least five carbons. Analysis of H​1 ​NMR showed the product to be propyl acetate. The H

NMR had an additional proton peak, indicating residual reactants. The ester product percent was

calculated to be 96.3% and the residual reactant percent was calculated to be 3.6%. In conclusion, propyl

acetate was successfully produced via fischer esterification of acetic acid and propanol.