Etherification

a sequence of chemical structures showing the protonation of a carboxylate group, where a hydrogen ion (H⁺) attaches to the oxygen, forming a carboxylic acid, followed by the deprotonation of a water molecule and the formation of a new ester bond with an alcohol group (R2-OH), resulting in a carboxylic acid and a hydroxide ion. The setting is a white background with a series of static chemical diagrams illustrating the reaction steps.