I think I am understanding what your asking here- there will not
be a oxidation step from the carboxylic acid to an ester. This reaction
stops here with the final product the carboxylic acid. An ester, which
differs from the carboxylic acid in that instead of the H attached to the
O, there is an alkyl group.
R-C=O
|
O-R,
There are different ways to add alkyl groups to this oxygen, which will be
studied in later chapters. However, by the definition of an oxidation as
the removal of hydrogen, a reaction from a carboxylic acid to a
carboxylate ester should be an oxidation since that H is removed from the
alcohol group. Hope this helps.
-AL (leglerba)
On Mon, 9 Dec 1996, Ed Chapel wrote:
> Prof. Fryhle was showing us the oxidation steps of a primary alcohol today
> and it went as followed:
>
> alcohol aldehyde carb. acid
> R-CH2-OH --> R-C=O --> R-C=O
> | |
> H OH
>
> Would there not be a step from the carboxilic acid to an ester and
> wouldn't it be an oxidation step?
>
> Ed
>
> chapelej
>
>