Acid chlorides hydrolyze with water to form carboxylic acids, while hydrolysis with aqueous base produces carboxylate ions, which can be acidified to yield the corresponding carboxylic acids.
How do acyl halides and anhydrides give rise to carboxylic acids, and what are the products obtained through hydrolysis with water or aqueous base?
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Acyl halides and anhydrides can be converted to carboxylic acids through hydrolysis. In the presence of water or aqueous base, nucleophilic attack by water molecules occurs, leading to the cleavage of the acyl group. For acyl halides, the reaction yields a carboxylic acid and a hydrogen halide (H-X). In the case of anhydrides, hydrolysis results in the formation of two carboxylic acids. The overall process involves the addition of water across the carbonyl carbon, breaking the acyl bond and forming carboxylic acids as the primary products, accompanied by the release of the corresponding acidic or basic byproducts.