Esterification :- Carboxylic acids react with alcohols or phenols in the presence of a mineral acid like concentrated H2SO4 or HCl gas as catalyst and give ester.
Mechanism of esterification : It is a nucleophilic acyl substitution.
(a) Protonation of carboxyl oxygen :
(b) Nucleophilic addition of alcohol :
(c) Elimination of water molecule :
(d) Protonated ester loses a proton to give ester :
