Carboxylic acid, any of a class of organic compounds in which a carbon atom is bonded to an oxygen atom by a double bond and to a hydroxyl group by a single bond. They can be viewed as derivatives of butyric acid. They are also one of the largest classes of synthetic lubricants on the commercial market. Water is the standard base used for pKa measurements; consequently, anything that stabilizes the conjugate base (A:(–)) of an acid will necessarily make that acid (H–A) stronger and shift the equilibrium to the right. Important examples include the amino acids and fatty acids. Wikipedia, Amino acids are organic compounds that contain amine (-NH 2 ) and carboxyl (-COOH) functional groups, along with a side chain (R group) specific to each amino acid. Have questions or comments? Wikipedia, Organic compound containing a phenyl functional group and a carboxylic acid functional group. Carboxylic acid - Carboxylic acid - Properties of carboxylic acids: The most important property of carboxylic acids, and the one that is responsible for naming them such, is their acidity. (4) Many unsaturated fatty acids are liquids at room temperature, in contrast to the saturated stearic (C18) and arachidic (C20) acids, which are solids. Wikipedia, Organic compound that contains a carboxyl group OH). The carboxylic acids that occur in fats have an even number of carbon atoms because they are synthesized entirely from the two-carbon acetyl units of acetyl coenzyme A. The bromine (Br) atom is at the α-carbon in the common system or C2 in the IUPAC system. These letters refer to the position of the carbon atom in relation to the carboxyl carbon atom. Some is used to synthesize fatty acids, terpenes, steroids, and other needed molecules. Hydrogen bonding is also a major factor in the water solubility of covalent compounds To refresh your understanding of these principles Click Here. The next higher homolog is acetic acid, which is made by fermenting cider and honey in the presence of oxygen.
In organic synthesis, functional group interconversion is one of the basic types of transformations. Wikipedia, Organic compound that contains a carboxylic acid functional group and hydroxy functional group separated by two carbon atoms. The carbon and oxygen in the carbonyl are both sp2 hybridized which give a carbonyl group a basic trigonal shape. In both species, the negative charge on the conjugate base is held by an oxygen, so periodic trends cannot be invoked.
Carboxylic acids occur widely in nature, often combined with alcohols or other functional groups, as in fats, oils, and waxes. Structurally related to lactic acid by the interchange of SH for OH.