What is the ester formed from methanol and ethanoic acid?

• A. Methyl ethanoate
• B. Ethyl ethanoate
• C. Methyl propanoate
• D. Ethyl formate

Answer: (A)

Esters form when an alcohol reacts with a carboxylic acid in a condensation reaction, giving an ester and water. The name of the ester comes from the alkyl group of the alcohol plus the name of the acid as its acid part. Here, methanol supplies the methyl group and ethanoic acid provides the ethanoate part, so the product is methyl ethanoate (CH3COOCH3) plus water.

This fits because the alcohol is methanol (methyl group) and the acid is ethanoic acid (ethanoate). The other possibilities would require a different alcohol or a different acid: ethyl ethanoate would come from ethanol, methyl propanoate would come from propanoic acid, and ethyl formate would come from formic acid.