
Carboxylic acid - Properties, Structure, Reactions | Britannica
Mar 12, 2025 · When a carboxylic acid donates its proton, it becomes a negatively charged ion, RCOO −, called a carboxylate ion. A carboxylate ion is much more stable than the corresponding alkoxide ion because of the existence of resonance structures for the carboxylate ion which disperse its negative charge.
Carboxylic acid | Structure, Properties, Formula, Uses, & Facts ...
Mar 12, 2025 · carboxylic acid, any of a class of organic compounds in which a carbon (C) atom is bonded to an oxygen (O) atom by a double bond and to a hydroxyl group (―OH) by a single bond. A fourth bond links the carbon atom to a hydrogen (H) atom or to some other univalent combining group.
Carboxylate ion | chemical compound | Britannica
In carboxylic acid: Acidity …charged ion, RCOO −, called a carboxylate ion. Read More
Oxalic acid | Formula, Uses, & Facts | Britannica
5 days ago · Oxalic acid, a colorless, crystalline, toxic organic compound belonging to the family of carboxylic acids. It is widely used as an acid rinse in laundries, where it is effective in removing rust and ink stains because it converts most insoluble iron compounds into a soluble complex ion.
Carboxylic acid - Hydroxy, Keto, Acids | Britannica
Mar 12, 2025 · Carboxylic acid - Hydroxy, Keto, Acids: The 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-hydroxycarboxylic acids all lose water upon heating, although the products are not the same. The 2-hydroxy acids form cyclic dimeric esters (formed by the esterification of two molecules of the acid) called lactides, whereas the 3- and 4-hydroxy acids undergo intramolecular ...
Carboxylic acid - Synthesis, Reactions, Properties | Britannica
Mar 12, 2025 · Carboxylic acid - Synthesis, Reactions, Properties: Most of the methods for the synthesis of carboxylic acids can be put into one of two categories: (1) hydrolysis of acid derivatives and (2) oxidation of various compounds.
Carboxylic acid - Nitriles, Synthesis, Reactions | Britannica
Mar 12, 2025 · Carboxylic acid - Nitriles, Synthesis, Reactions: Nitriles, RC≡N, are organic cyanides. They are named after the corresponding carboxylic acids by changing -ic acid to -onitrile, or -nitrile, whichever preserves a single letter o.
Hydroxyl group | Definition, Structure, & Facts | Britannica
hydroxyl group (―OH), in chemistry, a functional group with one hydrogen and one oxygen atom.An oxygen atom normally forms two σ bonds with other atoms; the water molecule, H 2 O, is the simplest and most common example. If one hydrogen atom is removed from a water molecule, a hydroxyl functional group (―OH) is generated.. Hydroxyl groups play a key role in the structure of many molecules.
Carboxylic acid - Reduction, Reactivity, Synthesis | Britannica
Mar 12, 2025 · Carboxylic acid - Reduction, Reactivity, Synthesis: Although carboxylic acids are more difficult to reduce than aldehydes and ketones, there are several agents that accomplish this reduction, the most important being lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH4) and borane (BH3).
Amino acid - Reactions, Structure, Synthesis | Britannica
Amino acids can be linked by a condensation reaction in which an ―OH is lost from the carboxyl group of one amino acid along with a hydrogen from the amino group of a second, forming a molecule of water and leaving the two amino acids linked via an amide—called, in this case, a peptide bond. At the turn of the 20th century, German chemist Emil Fischer first proposed this linking together ...