Carboxylic acids

• what are carboxylic acids?


  organic compounds that contain a COOH functional group
• state characteristics of carboxylic acids

  • dissolve in water to form an acidic solution (contains H+ ions)
  • react with metal carbonates to form carbon dioxide
  • react with alcohols with an acid catalyst to produce esters
  • react with metals to give off hydrogen gas
• what type of acid is carboxylic acid?

  weak acid
• explain why carboxylic acids are weak acids

  partially dissociated in water, thus the pH of a carboxylic acid in solution is not as low as a solution of a strong acid of the same concentration
• what is an ester and how is it formed?

  • organic compound containing a -COO- functional group, formed from carboxylic acid and alcohol in the presence of a sulfuric acid catalyst
  • have a fruity smell