Glyoxylic acid Glyoxylic acid Glyoxylic acid or oxoacetic acid is an organic compound. Together with acetic acid, glycolic acid, and oxalic acid, glyoxylic acid is one of the C carboxylic acids. It is a colourless solid that occurs naturally and is useful industrially. Glyoxylic acid is usually described with the chemical formula OCHCOH, i.e. containing an aldehyde functional group (see image in upper right). The aldehyde in fact is not observed in solution or as a solid. As seen for many other aldehydes, it exists most commonly as the hydrate. Thus, the formula for glyoxylic acid is really (HO)CHCOH, described as the
Benzilic acid is regulated by the Chemical Weapons Convention. It is also monitored by law enforcement agencies of many countries, because of its use in the manufacture in hallucinogenic drugs. Benzilic acid Benzilic acid is an organic compound with formula or ()(HO)C(COOH). It is a white crystalline aromatic acid, soluble in many primary alcohols. Benzilic acid can be prepared by heating mixture of benzil, ethanol and potassium hydroxide. Another preparation, performed by Liebig in 1838, is the dimerization of benzaldehyde, to benzil, which is transformed to the product by the benzilic acid rearrangement reaction. Benzilic acid is used in the manufacture of