Useful Concepts

Carboxylic Acids Derivatives

It is useful to view the carboxylic acid derivatives as an acyl group, R-C=O,  with a different substituent attached that influences their reactivity (review)

Interconversions
Here is a table that summarises the methods for interconverting carboxylic acid derivatives.  The more important reactions in emphasised in bold, and the reactions of the parent carboxylic acids (chapter 19) in blue.
 

To make ->  From
	-	RCO2-	R'OH	H2O	R2NH	H2O, HO-
	-	-	R'OH	H2O	R2NH	H2O, HO-
	-	-	R'OH, heat H+ or B-	H2O, H3O+ heat	R2NH	H2O, HO- heat
	SOCl2    or PCl3	Heat, -H2O	R'OH, heat H+	-	R2NH heat	HO-
	-	-	-	H2O, H3O+ heat	-	H2O, HO- heat
	-	RCOCl	R'-Br or -I	H3O+	-	-

© Dr. Ian Hunt, Department of Chemistry