Carboxylic acid
Carbon atoms Common name IUPAC name Chemical formula Common location or use
1 Formic acid Methanoic acid HCOOH Insect stings
2 Acetic acid Ethanoic acid CH 3 COOH Vinegar
3 Propionic acid Propanoic acid CH 3 CH 2 COOH Preservative for stored grains , body odour , milk , butter , cheese
4 Butyric acid Butanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 2 COOH Butter
5 Valeric acid Pentanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 3 COOH Valerian
6 Caproic acid Hexanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 4 COOH Goat fat
7 Enanthic acid Heptanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 5 COOH Enantic ( vine blossom )
8 Caprylic acid Octanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 6 COOH Coconuts
9 Pelargonic acid Nonanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 7 COOH Pelargonium
10 Capric acid Decanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 8 COOH Coconut and Palm kernel oil
11 Undecylic acid Undecanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 9 COOH
12 Lauric acid Dodecanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 10 COOH Coconut oil and hand wash soaps
13 Tridecylic acid Tridecanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 11 COOH
14 Myristic acid Tetradecanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 12 COOH Nutmeg
15 Pentadecylic acid Pentadecanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 13 COOH
16 Palmitic acid Hexadecanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 14 COOH Palm oil
17 Margaric acid Heptadecanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 15 COOH
18 Stearic acid Octadecanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 16 COOH Chocolate , waxes , soaps , and oils
19 Nonadecylic acid Nonadecanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 17 COOH Fats , vegetable oils , pheromone
20 Arachidic acid Icosanoic acid CH 3 ( CH 2 ) 18 COOH Peanut oil
Examples and nomenclature
Carboxylic acids are commonly identified by their trivial names . They often have the suffix -ic acid . IUPAC-recommended names also exist ; in this system , carboxylic acids have an -oic acid suffix . [ 2 ] For example , butyric acid ( C3H7CO2H ) is butanoic acid by IUPAC guidelines . For nomenclature of complex molecules containing a carboxylic acid , the carboxyl can be considered position one of the parent chain even if there are other substituents , such as 3-chloropropanoic acid . Alternately , it can be named as a `` carboxy '' or `` carboxylic acid '' substituent on another parent structure , such as 2-carboxyfuran . The carboxylate anion ( R–COO− or RCO2− ) of a carboxylic acid is usually named with the suffix -ate , in keeping with the general pattern of -ic acid and -ate for a conjugate acid and its conjugate base , respectively . For example , the conjugate base of acetic acid is acetate . Carbonic acid , which occurs in bicarbonate buffer systems in nature , is not generally classed as one of the carboxylic acids , despite that it has a moiety that looks like a COOH group .
A carboxylic acid is an organic compound that contains a carboxyl group (C(=O)OH). The general formula of a carboxylic acid is R-COOH, with R referring to the rest of the molecule. Carboxylic acids occur widely. Important examples include the amino acids and acetic acid. Deprotonation of a carboxyl group gives a carboxylate anion.