Carboxylic Acids or Organic Acids

  • They are carbon compounds attached to COOH (carboxylic group) .
  • They are represented as ‘oic acid’.
  • Example Methanoic Acid, Ethanoic Acid are Carboxylic Acids.
  • These carboxylic acids are also called Organic Acids .

Number of Carbon Atoms

Methane Name

Carboxylic Acids Name

1

Methane

Methanoic Acid

 

CH 4

HCOOH

2

Ethane

Ethanoic Acid

 

C 2 H 6

CH 3 COOH

3

Propane

Propanoic Acid

 

C 3 H 8

C 2 H 5 COOH

4

Butane

Butanoic Acid

 

C 4 H 10

C 3 H 7 COOH

 

Naming of Carboxylic Acids:

  • Step 1

We take Parent alkane by seeing number of carbon atoms

(If 1 Carbon Atom, it is Meth, if 2 carbon atoms, we use Eth)

  • Step 2

We use Certain Suffixes like 'oic acid' for (COOH) groups.

Example

  • if we have to Name HCOOH
  • It has 1 carbon atom, it means it is Meth.
  • Since it has  (COOH) attached, we use the suffix ‘oic acid'. Hence we get Methanoic acid

STRUCTURE OF METHANOIC ACID - Teachoo.jpg

Example:

  • If we have to name CH 3 COOH
  • It has 2 carbon atoms which means it is Eth
  • Since it has (COOH) attached, we use the suffix ‘oic acid ’.
  • Therefore, we get Ethanoic acid.

STRUCTURE OF ETHANOIC ACIDs - Teachoo.jpg

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CA Maninder Singh is a Chartered Accountant for the past 14 years and a teacher from the past 18 years. He teaches Science, Economics, Accounting and English at Teachoo