Are carboxylic acids with four or fewer carbons water soluble or insoluble
Added by Lori P.
Step 1
Carboxylic acids contain a carboxyl group (-COOH) which is polar and can form hydrogen bonds with water. Show more…
Show all steps
Your feedback will help us improve your experience
Syon Schlecht and 65 other Chemistry 101 educators are ready to help you.
Ask a new question
Labs
Want to see this concept in action?
Explore this concept interactively to see how it behaves as you change inputs.
Key Concepts
Recommended Videos
Why carboxalic acid are soluble in water
Syon S.
Explain why carboxylic acids tend to be more soluble in water than aldehydes with the same number of carbon
Simple acids such as formic acid, $\mathrm{HCOOH},$ and acetic acid, $\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{COOH},$ are very soluble in water; however, fatty acids such as stearic acid, $\mathrm{CH}_{3}\left(\mathrm{CH}_{2}\right)_{16} \mathrm{COOH},$ and palmitic acid, $\mathrm{CH}_{3}\left(\mathrm{CH}_{2}\right)_{14} \mathrm{COOH},$ are water-insoluble. Based on what you know about the solubility of alcohols, explain the solubility of these organic acids.
Recommended Textbooks
Chemistry: Structure and Properties
Chemistry The Central Science
Chemistry
Transcript
18,000,000+
Students on Numerade
Trusted by students at 8,000+ universities
Watch the video solution with this free unlock.
EMAIL
PASSWORD