2 Chemistry -- Carboxylic Acid and its Derivatives

ask mattrab Visit www.askmattrab.com for more academic resources.

Introduction to Carboxylic acid

Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids 

        Organic compounds having carboxyl (—COOH) functional group with acidic property are carboxylic acids.

Example:

 CH3COOH (acetic acid) 

 HOOC—CH2—C(OH)(COOH)—CH2—COOH

(Citric acid)

The term carboxyl is a composite word of the term 'carb' derived from carbonyl group (>C=O) and 'oxyl' derived from hydroxyl group (—OH) as: 

>C=O(carbonyl)+-OH (hydroxyl)= -COOH (carboxyl)

Carboxylic acids are broadly classified as (i) Aliphatic carboxylic acids and (ii) Aromatic carboxylic acids, depending upon whether -COOH group is attached to alkyl (R-) chain and aromatic aryl (Ar-)group respectively.

The aliphatic carboxylic acid may be regarded as derivatives of alkanes in which one or more Hatoms have been substituted by –COOH group as shown as below:


Carboxylic acid The general formula of aliphatic saturated monocarboxylic acids (homologous series) is CnH2n+1COOH. (exception: Formic acid, HCOOH).

The carboxylic acids, aliphatic as well as aromatic, are further classified as mono-, di-, tri- or polycarboxylic acids according to the number of —COOH groups present in a molecule of carboxylic acid.

1.Aliphatic monocarboxylic acids: The carboxylic acids containing only one—COOH group per molecule are called monocarboxylic acids.

Example:

2 Aliphatic dicarboxylic acids: The carboxylic acids having two —COOH groups per molecule are called dicarboxylic acids.

Example: 


3. Aliphatic tricarboxylic acids: The carboxylic acids having three —COOH groups per molecule

are called tricarboxylic acids.

Example: 


Discussions

Close Open App