The correct answer is: A. only one enantiomer.
Esterification is a chemical reaction that involves the formation of an ester from an acid and an alcohol. The general reaction is as follows:
R-COOH + HO-R’ â R-COO-R’ + H2O
In this reaction, R and R’ are alkyl groups. The ester product is a chiral molecule, meaning that it has two non-superimposable mirror images. These mirror images are called enantiomers.
If the acid P and the alcohol Q are both racemic mixtures, then the ester product will also be a racemic mixture. A racemic mixture is a mixture of equal amounts of the two enantiomers.
However, if the acid P or the alcohol Q is a pure enantiomer, then the ester product will also be a pure enantiomer.
In conclusion, the esterification of the acid P with the alcohol Q will give only one enantiomer if the acid P or the alcohol Q is a pure enantiomer. If the acid P and the alcohol Q are both racemic mixtures, then the ester product will also be a racemic mixture.
Here is a brief explanation of each option:
- Option A: only one enantiomer. This is the correct answer. As explained above, if the acid P or the alcohol Q is a pure enantiomer, then the ester product will also be a pure enantiomer.
- Option B: a mixture of diastereomers. A diastereomer is a stereoisomer that is not an enantiomer. If the acid P and the alcohol Q are both racemic mixtures, then the ester product will be a racemic mixture of diastereomers.
- Option C: a mixture of enantiomers. This is not the correct answer. As explained above, if the acid P and the alcohol Q are both racemic mixtures, then the ester product will be a racemic mixture of diastereomers, not a racemic mixture of enantiomers.
- Option D: only one diastereomer. This is not the correct answer. As explained above, if the acid P or the alcohol Q is a pure enantiomer, then the ester product will be a pure enantiomer, not a pure diastereomer.