Explain reactions of acyl chlorides and acid anhydrides.

In the subtopic Carboxylic acids, esters and acyl derivatives (A-level only), this AQA A-Level Chemistry 7405 learning objective focuses on explain reactions of acyl chlorides and acid anhydrides. It belongs to Carboxylic acids and derivatives (A-level only), so revision should stay anchored to this exact subtopic rather than drifting into a generic GCSE-level chemistry summary. Approved keywords to use include acyl chloride, acid anhydride. Nucleophilic Addition-Elimination. means a reaction mechanism where a nucleophile attacks an electrophile, followed by the elimination of a leaving group, commonly seen in reactions of acyl chlorides and acid anhydrides Avoid the mistake of students often confuse the reactivity of acyl chlorides with that of carboxylic acids, thinking they react in the same way with nucleophiles; instead, remember that acyl chlorides are more reactive than carboxylic acids due to the presence of the chlorine atom, which is a better leaving group. Focus on the mechanism of nucleophilic addition-elimination for acyl chlorides For exam answers, when reacting acid anhydrides, note that they can react with alcohols to form esters. Write out the balanced equation to visualize the reaction