The ester ethyl acetate can be formed by the combination of the alcohol ethanol (CH3CH2OH) and the acid acetic acid (CH3COOH). The reaction is an esterification reaction and the product, ethyl acetate, has the chemical formula CH3COOCH2CH3. The reaction is catalyzed by an acid catalyst, such as sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The reaction can be represented as follows:

$$CH3CH2OH + CH3COOH → CH3COOCH2CH3 + H2O$$