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Carboxylic Acid

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Definition

In chemistry, carboxylic acids are organic acids that contain a carboxyl functional group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is R-COOH. Carboxylic acids are proton donors. Some common examples are formic acid, H-COOH, and acetic acid, CH3COOH. There are many carboxylic acids of biological importance, for example, fatty acid esters are important components of many cell membranes, proteins are polymers of amino acids, and many compounds in intermediary metabolism are carboxylic acids. Common prebiotic syntheses of carboxylic acids proceed via the hydrolysis of precursor nitriles.

Because they are both hydrogen-bond acceptors and hydrogen-bond donors, they are able to participate in hydrogen bonding. Carboxylic acids tend to have higher boiling points than water partly because of their tendency to form hydrogen-bonded dimers. Carboxylic acids are polar: short-chain aliphatic carboxylic acids (e.g., those containing one to five carbon atoms) are soluble in water, whereas...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

  2. Institute for Advanced Study, 1 Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

  3. Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, 2800 Woodley Rd. NW #544, Washington, DC, 20008, USA

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

  4. Center for Chemical Evolution, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA

    Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II

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  1. Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II
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Correspondence to Henderson James (Jim) Cleaves II .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Cleaves, H.J.(. (2014). Carboxylic Acid. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_238-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_238-4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Carboxylic Acid
    Published:
    15 February 2023

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_238-5

  2. Original

    Carboxylic Acid
    Published:
    24 April 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_238-4

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