carboxylic acid

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. any organic acid containing one or more carboxyl groups.

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carboxylic acid British  

/ ˌkɑːbɒkˈsɪlɪk /

noun

1. any of a class of organic acids containing the carboxyl group See also fatty acid

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carboxylic acid Scientific  

/ kär′bŏk-sĭl′ĭk /

1. An organic acid containing one or more carboxyl groups. Carboxylic acids often have names ending in –oic acid, such as benzoic acid. Amino acids, fatty acids, and many other important organic compounds are carboxylic acids.

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Etymology

Origin of carboxylic acid

First recorded in 1900–05; carboxyl + -ic

Example Sentences

All humans produce carboxylic acid through sebum, a waxy coating, on their skin.

From Washington Post • Oct. 18, 2022

Compounds used in flame retardants and batteries, for example, contain a sulfonate group instead of a carboxylic acid group and won’t break down with this approach.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 17, 2022

You’ll recognize them from the labels of your beloved beauty products: glycerin, lactic acid, amino acids, urea, and sodium pyrrolidone carboxylic acid.

From Slate • Jan. 12, 2022

The hydrogen atom in the functional group of a carboxylic acid will react with a base to form an ionic salt:

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Cinnolin derivatives are obtained from oxycinnolin carboxylic acid, which is formed by digesting orthophenyl propiolic acid diazo chloride with water.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 "Cincinnatus" to "Cleruchy" by Various