Carboxylic Acid

Key Stage 4

Meaning

Carboxylic Acids are organic compounds with a Carbon atom which has a double bonds to an Oxygen atom and a single bond to an OH group. The general formula is C_nH_2nO₂.

About Carboxylic Acids

Carboxylic Acids are a homologous series of organic compounds.

The functional group of the Carboxylic Acids is the double bond between a Carbon atom and an Oxygen atom and the single bond to an OH group.

Carboxylic Acids are long chains of Carbon atoms covalently bonded together with the the final Carbon atom in the chain as a COOH group.

Examples

	Methanoic Acid	Ethanoic Acid	Propanoic Acid	Butanoic Acid
Chemical Formula	CH2O2	C2H4O2	C3H6O2	C4H8O2
Structural Formula	HCOOH	CH3COOH	CH3CH2COOH	CH3CH2CH2COOH
Structural Diagram
Ball and Stick Model

Reactions of Carboxylic Acids

Neutralisation

Carboxylic Acids can be neutralised to produce organic salts.

Methanoic Acid + Potassium → Potassium Methanoate + Hydrogen

<chem>2HCOOH + 2K -> 2HCOOK + H2</chem>

Ethanoic Acid + Magnesium Oxide → Magnesium Ethanoate + Water

<chem>2CH3COOH + MgO -> (CH3COO)2Mg + H2O</chem>

Propanoic Acid + Sodium Hydroxide → Sodium Propanoate + Water

<chem>C2H5COOH + NaOH -> C2H5COONa + H2O</chem>

Butanoic Acid + Calcium Carbonate → Calcium Butanoate + Water + Carbon Dioxide

<chem>2C3H7COOH + CaCO3 -> (C3H7COO)2Ca + H2O + CO2</chem>

Esterification

Carboxylic Acids may react with alcohols to produce compounds known as esters which have the functional group -COO-.

Methanoic Acid + Ethanol → Ethyl Methanoate + Water

<chem>HCOOH + C2H5OH -> HCOOC2H5 + H2O</chem>

Ethanoic Acid + Ethanol → Ethyl Ethanoate + Water

<chem>CH3COOH + C2H5OH -> CH3COOC2H5 + H2O</chem>

Propanoic Acid + Propanol → Propyl Propanoate + Water

<chem>C3H5COOH + C3H7OH -> C2H5COOC3H7 + H2O</chem>

Butanoic Acid + Propanol → Propyl Butanoate + Water

<chem>C3H5COOH + C3H7OH -> C3H5COOC3H7 + H2O</chem>