Carboxylic acid Carboxylic acid A carboxylic acid is an organic compound that contains a carboxyl group (C(=O)OH). The general formula of a carboxylic acid is R–COOH, 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, along with
Phenylarsonic acid Phenylarsonic acid Phenylarsonic acid is the chemical compound with the formula CHAsO(OH), commonly abbreviated PhAsOH. This colourless solid is an organic derivative of arsenic acid, AsO(OH), where one OH group has been replaced by a phenyl group. The compound is a buffering agent and a precursor to other organoarsenic compounds, some of which are used in animal nutrition, e.g. 4-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzenearsonic acid. PhAsOH can be prepared in several routes, but a common one entails treatment of phenyl diazonium salts with sodium arsenite (prepared from arsenious acid and base) in the presence of a copper(II) catalyst. Related derivatives are prepared similarly. It