What is "carboxylic acid"

carboxylic acid \carboxylic acid\ n. (Chem.) an organic compound whose acidity is due to the presence of a carboxyl gorup. Monocarboxylic acids (such as acetic acid or butyric acid) have one carboxyl group, dicarboxylic acids (such as oxalic acid or malonic acid) have two, tricarboxylic acids (such as citric acid) have three.

n. (context organic chemistry English) Any of a class of organic compounds containing a carboxyl functional group.

n. an organic acid characterized by one or more carboxyl groups

A carboxylic acid is an organic compound that contains a carboxyl group (C(O)OH). The general formula of a carboxylic acid is R–C(O)OH, with R referring to the rest of the (possibly quite large) molecule. Carboxylic acids occur widely and include the amino acids (which make up proteins) and acetic acid (which is part of vinegar and occurs in metabolism).

Salts and esters of carboxylic acids are called carboxylates. When a carboxyl group is deprotonated, its conjugate base forms a carboxylate anion. Carboxylate ions are resonance-stabilized, and this increased stability makes carboxylic acids more acidic than alcohols. Carboxylic acids can be seen as reduced or alkylated forms of the Lewis acid carbon dioxide; under some circumstances they can be decarboxylated to yield carbon dioxide.