Curious question

nemzy

Why is it necessary to use a large excess of acetic adic in the prepartion of isopentyl acetate?

chem_tr

You can do this in another way, but acetic acid is far more cheap than isopentyl alcohol. This is just for being more economical.

If you've heard what Le Chatelier's principle is, it will make more sense. Esterification reactions require removal of water, so using one of the reactants in excess will drive the reaction to the ester side. So, what reactant would you use?

archie

The excess of acetic acid is used to shift the equilibrium to the right so more isopentyl acetate is produced.