What is the name of the ester that results from the reaction of ethanoic acid and ethanol?

The ester formed from the reaction of ethanoic acid and ethanol is known as ethyl ethanoate, which is also commonly referred to as ethyl acetate. This is because the process of esterification involves the alcohol (ethanol) reacting with the carboxylic acid (ethanoic acid), resulting in the formation of an ester.

In this case, ethanoic acid (which contains the functional group -COOH) reacts with ethanol (which contains the functional group -OH), leading to the elimination of water and the formation of the ester. The name ethyl ethanoate indicates that the ethanol contributes the "ethyl" part of the name, while the ethanoic acid contributes the "ethanoate" component.

Identifying the components is crucial; the “ethyl” comes from the two-carbon alcohol, ethanol, while the “ethanoate” refers to the derived group from the acetic acid (ethanoic acid). This naming convention aligns with IUPAC rules for organic compounds, which help standardize how chemical substances are named based on their structure. Thus, the answer is ethyl ethanoate, confirming the student's choice is valid given this context.