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Sulphuric acid acts as a catalyst to catalyze the reactions of alcohol and carboxylic acid to form ester. Alcohol reacts with carboxylic acid to produce ester and water.

However, as sulphuric acid have strong afinity towards water, will sulphuric acid react with the water produced in an esterification process?

If so, will it mean that the equilibrium is shifted to the right as water is reacted with sulphuric acid? And will this mean that there would be less sulphuric acid present as a catalyst to catalyse the reaction?

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Sulfuric acid acts as catalyst meaning it is regenerated at the end of the reaction. In the presence of water or other bases, sulfuric acid will primarily be deprotonated. $$\ce{H2O + H2SO4->H3O+ + HSO4-}$$

It is occasionally more correct to consider the water acting as a catalyst. Any time that you have a strong acid acting as a catalyst, because its deprotonation is much more likely than the organic reaction, it is nearly completely deprotonated at a given time. Thus the protonated $\ce{H3O+}$ will act as your catalyst. protonating the carboxylic acid and deprotonating the ester.

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Sulfuric acid is a dehydrating agent. This should the water produced in Fischer Esterification. This will stop the ester from hydrolyzing. The ions produced from the deprotonation of sulfuric acid should also help in catalyzing the reaction. This will push the reaction to the right.

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