This document describes organic acids, including their properties, examples, and reactions. Key points are: 1) Organic acids are weak acids that contain carbon and hydrogen. Common examples include ethanoic, methanoic, lactic, and citric acids. 2) Organic acids are miscible in water when small, but larger ones are only soluble in organic solvents. They are liquids at room temperature and have higher boiling points than alkanes. 3) Organic acids form hydrogen bonds, giving them higher boiling points than alkanes. This allows small ones to dissolve in water and larger ones in organic solvents.

1. Organic Acids

2. Exam Objectives describe the useful chemical and physical properties of organic acids, such as pH, acid behaviour and miscibility

3. Organic Acids You should be familiar with Ethanoic Acid – the main component of vinegar This is the most common of the ORGANIC ACIDS which can also be called CARBOXYLIC acids These are acids made from hydrocarbons – the mainly contain Carbon and Hydrogen Other examples include: Methanoic acid – aka formic acid, found in bee stings Lactic acid – aka 2-hydroxypropanoic acid, found in milk and made during anaerobic respiration Citric acid – aka 3-carboxy-3-hydroxypentanedioic acid, found in citrus fruits and sherbet

4. Properties of Organic Acids They are weak acids (NB: this is different from concentration, you can be a weak acid but very concentrated) Like alcohols, the smaller organic acids (like the examples given earlier) are miscible in water. Larger organic acids are only soluble in organic solvents like alcohols or oily compounds The smaller acids are liquids at room temperature, while the larger ones are solid – the BP increases as the number of C atoms increases

5. What is a weak acid? pH measures how strong an acid is by how many H+ ions are dissolved in water. A strong acid has a low pH and lots of H+ ions, while a weak acid has a higher pH (but still less than 7) and fewer H+ions. So, hydrochloric acid is a strong acid, while organic acids are weak acids In the picture, a strong acid has lots of free H+ ions, while in the weak acid more of the H+ ions are still attached to the negative ions. Unless they are free, the H+ ions won’t react, and so the acid is said to be weaker.

6. Hydrogen Bonding This is a brief explanation, but helps you understand the difference in properties of the alkanes compared to the carboxylic acids Alcohols, acids and Esters all form hydrogen bonds. These are stronger than the forces that alkanes have between the molecules. This means they can be soluble in water, and have higher boiling points than similar alkanes. The picture shows hydrogen bonds between water molecules because it contains O and H. Acids, alcohols and esters also contain O and H atoms and this means they also have hydrogen bonding.

7. Hydrogen Bonding and Miscibility When an acid is very long (more than 4 carbons), it cannot form enough hydrogen bonds to be stable – it becomes hydrophobic This means its solubility in water decreases However, with longer carbon chains it can form bonds with organic solvents which are also made up of lots of carbons. It now becomes more soluble in organic solvents than water.

8. Reactions of Organic Acids Are the same as for the inorganic acids we already know Acid + Alkali  Salt + water Acid + Metal  Salt + hydrogen Acid + Metal Carbonate  Salt + Carbon Dioxide + water Acid + Metal Hydrogencarbonate  Salt + CO2 + water The only thing that changes is the name: Ethanoic acid + sodium hydroxide  sodium ethanoate + water Methanoic acid + potassium carbonate  potassium methanoate + carbon dioxide + water

9. Questions to practice Imagine you are carrying out the following tests. Write down what your observations would be and explain them. It might be easier to put this in a table: A Test a little ethanoic acid with universal indicator. What is the pH? B Fill a tube about one-third full with dilute ethanoic acid. Add a piece of magnesium. Note your observations and test the gas that is given off. C Fill a tube about one-third full with dilute ethanoic acid. Add a spatula of sodium hydrogen carbonate. Note your observations and test the gas that is given off. D Repeat step C using sodium carbonate.

10. RESULTS TABLE Finish off by writing a word and balanced chemical equation for the reactions in B, C and D