Question

Acetic acid formed during hydrolysis of ester acts as an induced catalyst.
A.True
B.False

Answer 1

In the process of hydrolysis of ester, a molecule of ester reacts with a molecule of water in order to form a carboxylic acid, and a molecule of alcohol as a by-product.
-Acetic acid could be formed as a product only if we use an ester with an acetate group, like meth acetate or butyl acetate.
Complete answer:
-Induced catalysis is a phenomenon in which one reaction influences the rate of another reaction, which does not occur under ordinary conditions.
-For instance, Sodium sulphite solution oxidises in the air naturally without any external catalyst but sodium arsenite solution does not oxidise by passing air. But when both solutions are mixed with each other and the air is passed through the solution, then both the substances get oxidised.
-Hydrolysis can be defined as a type of chemical reaction where a molecule of water breaks a bond. In the case of hydrolysis of an ester, the nucleophile which is either a hydroxide ion or water, attacks the carbon of the carbonyl group of the ester group in order to break the ester bond. One fragment of the original ester molecule gains the proton which is being released from water to form an alcohol group, while the other fragment gains the hydroxide group in order to form a salt of the carboxylic acid. In normal conditions, only a few hydrolysis reactions take place without the addition of a strong base or acid. The strong base or acid acts as a catalyst to speed up the reaction, and the catalyst is recovered at the end of the reaction. The process of hydrolysis is a reversible reaction. It is also known as a condensation reaction because it produces water as a byproduct.

Above is a generic representation of hydrolysis of ester where a carboxylic acid and an alcohol is produced. Now if we consider the question, it specifically says that the reaction produces acetic acid. But we know that the acetic acid does not act as an induced catalyst, instead it acts as one of the reactants for the formation of ester. So the given statement is false.
Hence, option B is the correct answer for this question.

Note:
-Acidic hydrolysis is simply the reverse of esterification, in which acetic acid and alcohol along with a mineral acid act as a catalyst.
-The ester is heated with a large quantity of water containing a strong-acid catalyst. Like esterification, the reaction is reversible and does not go to completion.