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Compare the basicity of the following compounds: b) Carboxylate anions: potassium benzoate (salt of potassium and benzoic acid). potassium formyl benzoate (potassium salt with a formyl group on the benzoate ring). potassium acetate (salt of potassium and acetic acid).
Accepted Answer
The basicity of carboxylate anions is determined by the electron-withdrawing or electron-donating nature of the substituents on the carboxylate group. Here's a comparison:
Potassium benzoate: The phenyl group in benzoate is slightly electron-withdrawing, making the carboxylate anion slightly less basic than a simple carboxylate like acetate.
Potassium formyl benzoate: The formyl group (-CHO) is also electron-withdrawing, but it's a stronger withdrawing group than the phenyl group. This makes the carboxylate anion even less basic than benzoate.
Potassium acetate: The methyl group in acetate is slightly electron-donating, making the carboxylate anion more basic than benzoate or formyl benzoate.
Therefore, the basicity order is: Potassium acetate > Potassium benzoate > Potassium formyl benzoate.
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