Carboxylic Acids & Derivatives Available For Purchase

Our Carboxylic Acid Suppliers

We have partnered with a range of chemical manufacturers who specialize exclusively in synthesizing carboxylic acids and their derivatives. With years of industry experience, our suppliers offer the most common carboxylic acids, or can custom manufacture carboxylic acids that you cannot purchase from most chemical suppliers.

With all orders, you can order the exact amount of chemical that you need - with no minimum order - in a cost and time effective manner that other suppliers cannot match.

Carboxylic Acid Physical Properties & Structure

Carboxylic acids are organic compounds containing a carbon - oxygen double bond and a single bond between a carbon and hydroxyl group, often demonstrated as -COOH.

Compounds containing carboxylic acids are known to be acidic; more so than compounds containing just a hydroxyl group, but less acidic than common acids such as hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for example.

Carboxylic Acid Derivatives

Carboxylic derivatives occur when the hydroxyl group in a carboxyl group is replaced by an electronegative atom or substituent. There are a number of different carboxylic derivatives that can be formed - based on the substituent group - which can be classified by other well known chemical names.

Examples of different carboxylic derivatives that form are often referred to as their own classification of chemical compounds, including nitriles, esters, amides, acid halides and acid anhydrides.

The Reactivity of Carboxylic Acids

Carboxylic acid derivatives are formed when the hydroxyl group is replaced by a nucleophile in a nucleophilic substitution reaction. This happens when polarization on the carbonyl group occurs, with the carbon atom developing a partial positive charge and the oxygen a partial negative charge.

Additionally, it is possible to reduce carboxylic acids into a primary alcohol, in the presence of lithium tetrahydroaluminate. Although most carboxylic acids cannot be oxidized, both methanol and ethanedioic acid are exceptions, when in the presence of acidified potassium permanganate.

Applications of Carboxylic Acids & Derivatives

Although carboxylic acids are naturally occurring, they can be synthetically made via oxidation reactions of aldehydes, primary alcohols, hydrocarbons and more, or via hydrolysis of nitriles, esters or amides.

Carboxylic acids and their derivatives are used widely; such as industrial applications to make polymers, coatings and adhesives, in health and medicine to produce pharmaceuticals and microbials, and in the food industry to produce additives and flavorings.