Final answer:
The ester that would give acetic acid and butanol upon hydrolysis is butyl acetate (CH₃COOCH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃). Hydrolysis can be carried out via acid-catalyzed or alkali hydrolysis methods, resulting in the formation of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the hydrolysis of an ester to form acetic acid (CH₃COOH) and butanol (CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂OH).
The ester that would yield these products upon hydrolysis is butyl acetate (CH₃COOCH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃).
During acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of esters, water add across the ester linkage, resulting in a carboxylic acid and an alcohol.
This process can also be carried out using alkali hydrolysis (or saponification), which typically yields a carboxylate salt and an alcohol; however, the carboxylate salt can be easily converted to the corresponding carboxylic acid by acidification.