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Primary Applications for the Carboxylic Acids - 3
Carboxylic acids have multiple applications in the industry
Subject: Primary Applications for the Carboxylic Acids
Palmitic Acid
Solid, grayish white and oily to the touch, palmitic acid has the formula CH3(CH2)14COOH. It is a saturated fatty acid found in large proportion in palm oil, hence its name. It is soluble in alcohol and ether, but not in water. It has a melting point of 63° C and a boiling point of 271° C at a pressure of 100 mm of mercury.
It is found in most animal and vegetable fats and oils in the form of an ester (glyceryl tripalmitate or palmitin). When saponified (the reaction of the ester with an alkali such as sodium hydroxide or potassium) alkaline salt is obtained; this salt is treated with a mineral acid to produce palmitic acid. The alkaline salts of palmitic acid, like those of stearic acid, are the principal ingredients of soap.
Palmitic acid is used in lubricating oils, in waterproofing materials, as paint dryer and for soap making. For more information, click here
Pyruvic Acid
Pyruvic acid is a-ketopropionic acid, a colorless liquid with a strong and pungent odor, soluble in water and with the formula CH3COCOOH. It has a boiling point of 165° C and is distinctly an acid. It was discovered by Swedish chemist Jöns J. Berzelius while conducting tests of tartaric acid. It is still obtained by heating tartaric acid.
Pyruvic acid is involved in numerous metabolic reactions. For example, it is a breakdown product of glucose when it is oxidized ultimately to carbon dioxide and water.
With yeast, there is a fermentation process in which pyruvic acid is reduced to ethanol. It can also be transformed in the liver into the corresponding amino acid, alanine. For more information, click here
Citric Acid
Citric acid is a white, solid carboxylic acid that has the formula C3H4OH(COOH)3. It is soluble in water, slightly soluble in organic solvents, and has a melting point of 153 °C. Citric acid solutions are slightly more acidic than those of ethanoic acid.
Citric acid can be found in different proportions in plants and animals, since it is an intermediate product of an almost universal metabolism. It is a large part of the juice of the citric fruits, from which it is obtained by adding calcium oxide for precipitation. The calcium citrate produced is treated with sulfuric acid to regenerate the citric acid. The main commercial source of the acid is the fermentation of sugar using the mushroom Aspergillus niger. It is used as an additive in drinks and food to give them a pleasant sour flavor. It is also used in medicines, to prepare blueprint paper, in textile printing and as a metal polishing agent. For more information click here
Succinic Acid
Succinic acid, also known as butanedioic acid, is solid, colorless or white, and has the formula (CH2)2CO2H. Its melting point is 185° C. It is soluble in water, ether and alcohol. It is involved in the reactions that comprise the Krebs cycle.
Succinic acid is found primarily in muscles, in mushrooms, and in amber and other resins, where it is extracted by distillation. Succinic acid is obtained by the hydrogenation of malic acid, and for industrial uses is synthesized from acetylene and formaldehyde. It is used in the manufacture of lacquers, dyes, perfume and medicine. For more information click here
Tartaric Acid
Also called dihydroxysuccinic acid or dihydroxybutanedioic acid, tartaric acid is an organic acid with the formula HO2CCH(OH)CH(OH)CO2H. This acid is found in many plants, and was known by the Greeks and Romans as tartar, the potassium acid salt that forms in the deposits of fermented grape juice.
Tartaric acid, in both its racemic and dextrorotatory forms, is used as seasoning in foods and beverages. It is also used in photography and varnishes, and as sodium and potassium tartrate (known as Rochelle salt), as a gentle laxative. For more information, click here
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