Editing Acetic anhydride (section)

===Acetylation of alcohols, amines, aromatics===
[[Alcohol (chemistry)|Alcohol]]s and [[amine]]s are readily acetylated.<ref>{{citation | first = Bassam Z. | last = Shakhashiri | title = Acetic Acid & Acetic Anhydride | url = http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/CHEMWEEK/AceticAcid/AceticAcid.html | work = Science is Fun… | publisher = Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin | access-date = 2006-03-25 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060303081507/http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/AceticAcid/AceticAcid.html | archive-date = 2006-03-03 | url-status = dead }}.</ref> For example, the reaction of acetic anhydride with [[ethanol]] yields [[ethyl acetate]]:
:{{chem2|(CH3CO)2O + CH3CH2OH -> CH3CO2CH2CH3 + CH3COOH}}
Often a base such as [[pyridine]] is added to function as catalyst. In specialized applications, [[Lewis acid]]ic [[scandium]] salts have also proven effective catalysts.<ref>{{OrgSynth | last1 = Macor | first1 = John | last2 = Sampognaro | first2 = Anthony J. | last3 = Verhoest | first3 = Patrick R. | last4 = Mack | first4 = Robert A. | title = (''R'')-(+)-2-Hydroxy-1,2,2-Triphenylethyl Acetate | prep = V77P0045 | year = 2000 | volume = 77 | pages = 45 | collvol = 10 | collvolpages = 464 | doi = 10.15227/orgsyn.077.0045 }}</ref>

Aromatic rings are acetylated by acetic anhydride.  Usually acid catalysts are used to accelerate the reaction. Illustrative are the conversions of [[benzene]] to [[acetophenone]]<ref>Roger Adams and C. R. Noller "p-Bromoacetophenone" Org. Synth. 1925, vol. 5, p. 17. {{doi|10.15227/orgsyn.005.0017}}</ref> and [[ferrocene]] to acetylferrocene:<ref>{{citation | last = Taber | first = Douglass F. | title = Column chromatography: Preparation of Acetyl Ferrocene | url = http://valhalla.chem.udel.edu/ferroc.html | publisher = Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware | access-date = 2009-08-27 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090502011406/http://valhalla.chem.udel.edu/ferroc.html | archive-date = 2009-05-02 | url-status = dead }}.</ref>
:{{chem2|(C5H5)2Fe  +  (CH3CO)2O   ->   (C5H5)Fe(C5H4COCH3)  +  CH3CO2H}}