What is the main product when butanoic acid is treated with thionyl chloride?

What is the main product when butanoic acid is treated with thionyl chloride?

Step 1: Identify the starting material, which is butanoic acid. Butanoic acid is a carboxylic acid with the formula C4H8O2.
Step 2: Identify the reagent being used, which is thionyl chloride (SOCl2). This reagent is commonly used to convert carboxylic acids into acyl chlorides.
Step 3: Understand the reaction process. When butanoic acid reacts with thionyl chloride, the -OH group from the carboxylic acid is replaced by a -Cl group.
Step 4: The reaction produces butanoyl chloride (C4H7Cl) as the main product. This is an acyl chloride derived from butanoic acid.
Step 5: The byproducts of this reaction are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and hydrochloric acid (HCl), but the main focus is on the formation of butanoyl chloride.

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