Hydrolysis of pentyl butanoate using sodium hydroxide produces an alcohol and the salt of the carboxylic acid - Scottish Highers Chemistry - Question 4 - 2017

The structural formula for the sodium salt of butanoic acid is represented as:

   O
   ||
Na^+--C--C--C--C--OH
   |  |  |  |  |
   H  H  H  H  H

Here, Na^+ indicates the sodium ion and the rest depicts the butanoate structure.

This class of compounds is known as esters.

Sodium salts of fatty acids are commonly used as soaps or emulsifiers.

To calculate the energy released from the combustion of 10 grams of stearic acid, we need to determine moles of stearic acid:

1. Calculate the moles of stearic acid:

   ext{Molar mass of stearic acid (C17H34COOH)} = 284 ext{ g/mol}

   moles = rac{10 ext{ g}}{284 ext{ g/mol}} ext{ = 0.0353 mol}

2. Calculating energy:

   623 ext{ kJ/mol} imes 0.0353 ext{ mol} ext{ = 22.0 kJ}

Therefore, the energy released by combustion of 10 grams of stearic acid is approximately 22.0 kJ.