what is the point in washing an ester with nacl in esterifcation preparation?

Answer 1

You use a saturated salt solution because the ester will be less soluble in the aqueous solution, due to the increased polarity of the solution. Other impurities from your reaction (unreacted carboxylic acid, unreacted alcohol, your H2SO4 catalyst) will be more soluble in the salt solution than the ester will be, thus enabling you to purify the product.

Answer 2

Has to be the towel..pop it in the dryer with a fabric sheet while it is still damp and it won't smell stale. My sheets are washed every other day and I don't plan to stop..!