Carboxylic Acids

Acetic acid, an example of a carboxylic acid

Carboxylic acids are organic compounds characterized by the presence of the -COOH group.Compared to inorganic acids, they belong to weaker acids. Their strength (i.e. the willingness to split off a proton) depends on the length of the carbon chain ( the strength decreases with the length of the chain) and on any substituents (e.g. the presence of a halogen increases the strength - trichloroacetic acid is much stronger than acetic acid). Carboxylic cids ( or their salts) are relatively abundant in the human body.

Important functional derivatives of carboxylic acids are esters - compounds formed by the reaction of carboxylic acid and alcohol (or phenol), which are very poorly soluble in water. Esterification takes place in an acid environment ( ideally with sulfuric acid, which will support the course of the reaction by binding the resulting water):

R-COOH + R‘-OH → R-COOR‘ + H₂O

Esters of lower or aromatic corboxylic acids with lower alcohols tend to have a very distinct smell (they are often used as essences - rum, pear, pineapple, etc.) In biochemistry, however, we will mainly be interested in more complex esters - fats and waxes.

Links

Source

Leníček M, Muchová L: Organika I