When acyl chlorides react with ammonia, they undergo a reaction known as ammonolysis. Let's consider the specific example of ethanoyl chloride reacting with ammonia:
1. Initially, ethanoyl chloride (CH3COCl) and ammonia (NH3) are present.
2. The lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom in ammonia is attracted to the partially positive carbon atom in the acyl chloride.
3. The lone pair of electrons on nitrogen forms a bond with the carbon, resulting in the substitution of the chlorine atom.
4. This substitution reaction leads to the formation of an amide, specifically ethanamide (CH3CONH2), also known as acetamide.
5. The byproduct of this reaction is hydrogen chloride (HCl), which is a strong acid and usually dissolves in the reaction mixture.
6. The reaction can be represented by the following equation:
CH3COCl + NH3 → CH3CONH2 + HCl
In summary, when ethanoyl chloride reacts with ammonia, it forms ethanamide (acetamide) as the main product, along with the formation of hydrogen chloride as a byproduct.