Final answer:
The purpose of combining acetaminophen with the sodium hydroxide/ethanol solution followed by the addition of 1-iodobutane is to facilitate the esterification process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of combining acetaminophen with the sodium hydroxide/ethanol solution followed by the addition of 1-iodobutane is to facilitate the conversion of acetaminophen into an ester. This step is known as esterification and is an important process in organic chemistry.
Esterification involves the reaction between a carboxylic acid and an alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst. In this case, acetaminophen, which contains a carboxylic acid group (–COOH), reacts with the sodium hydroxide/ethanol solution to form the sodium salt of acetaminophen, which is an intermediate compound.
This intermediate compound then reacts with 1-iodobutane, an alkyl halide, to form the ester. This esterification step is important because it allows the synthesis of a new compound with different properties and functionality.