Concept:The combination of an alcohol and a carboxylic acid under acidic conditions is the standard synthetic route to form esters.
Formula:$$ \text{R-COOH} + \text{R'-OH} \rightleftharpoons \text{R-COOR'} + \text{H}_2\text{O} $$
Solution:- The hydroxyl group of the acid and the hydrogen of the alcohol are lost to form a water molecule.
- The two molecules join via an oxygen bridge, forming an ester linkage.
- Because the primary defining product is an ester, this specific chemical process is universally known as an esterification reaction.
Why other options are incorrect:While technically a "condensation" or "intermolecular dehydration" occurs due to the loss of water, "esterification" is the highly specific and dominant nomenclature for this exact functional group transformation. It involves no change in oxidation state, ruling out C and D.
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