Describe the process of esterification, including the reactants and the type of reaction that occurs.

Esterification is the reaction between a carboxylic acid and an alcohol, producing an ester and water. This is a condensation reaction, as it involves the elimination of a water molecule. This answer is anchored to Carboxylic acids, esters and acyl derivatives (A-level only).

Esterification is the reaction between a carboxylic acid and an alcohol, producing an ester and water. This is a condensation reaction, as it involves the elimination of a water molecule. is the best answer because it directly supports the AQA A-Level Chemistry objective to describe esterification and hydrolysis reactions. This reasoning is anchored to Carboxylic acids, esters and acyl derivatives (A-level only) in Carboxylic acids and derivatives (A-level only), and it separates ester from similar A-Level ideas rather than relying on a vague recall statement. Other options are weaker if they use the wrong evidence, calculation, mechanism, observation, unit, or conclusion for this subtopic.