MCAT Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Esters are named with the suffix "-oate" as they are derived from the reaction of an alcohol and a carboxylic acid. When naming esters, the alkyl group from the alcohol contributes to the first part of the name, while the acid part of the name is derived from the carboxylic acid, replacing the "ic acid" ending with "-oate."

For example, the ester formed from ethanol (an alcohol) and acetic acid (a carboxylic acid) is named ethyl acetate. The "ethyl" comes from ethanol, and "acetate" comes from acetic acid, adhering to the suffix "-oate."

This naming convention distinguishes esters from other functional groups, such as alcohols which use the suffix "-ol," amides which use "-amide," and other compounds that may end with "-ate" but do not specifically denote esters.