propionic acid

American  

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a colorless, oily, water-soluble liquid, C 3 H 6 O 2 , having a pungent odor: used in making bread-mold-inhibiting propionates, in perfumery, and in medicine as a topical fungicide.

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propionic acid British  

/ ˌprəʊpɪˈɒnɪk /

noun

1. the former name for propanoic acid

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propionic acid Scientific  

/ prō′pē-ŏn′ĭk /

1. A liquid fatty acid found naturally in sweat and milk products and as a product of bacterial fermentation. It is also prepared synthetically from ethanol and carbon monoxide, and is used chiefly in the form of its propionates as a mold inhibitor in bread and as an ingredient in perfume. Chemical formula: C ₃ H ₆ O ₂ .

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Etymology

Origin of propionic acid

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Clostridia bacterial pathogens, for instance, generate propionic acid in the gut — a short-chain fatty acid known to disrupt the production of neurotransmitters.

From Nature • Jan. 28, 2020

This compound can be prepared by the reaction of calcium carbonate, CaCO3, with propionic acid, C2H5CO2H, which has properties similar to those of acetic acid.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Vinegar will replace propionic acid, a preservative in its turkey. Banana peppers will be given their fluorescent sheen with turmeric, often used in Indian curries, instead of Yellow No. 5.

From Washington Post • Jun. 4, 2015

Some of the changes will include using banana peppers that are colored with turmeric instead of Yellow No. 5 and using turkey that includes with vinegar rather than the preservative propionic acid.

From Time • Jun. 4, 2015

For example, an amino-acid derived from acetic acid, CH3·COOH, is glycine, or amino-acetic acid, CH2NH2·COOH; from propionic acid, CH3·CH2·COOH, there may be obtained either α-amino-propionic acid, CH3·CHNH2·COOH, or β-amino-propionic acid, CH2NH2·CH2·COOH, etc.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred