|
butyric acid[byOOtir´ik] Pronunciation Key or butanoic acid[byOOtunO´ik] Pronunciation Key, CH3CH2CH2CO2H, viscous, foul-smelling, liquid carboxylic acid; m.p. about -5°C; b.p. 163.5°C. It is miscible with water, ethanol, and ether. It is a low molecular weight fatty acid that is present in butter as an ester of glycerol; the odor of rancid butter is due largely to the presence of free butyric acid. Butyric acid is used in the manufacture of plastics. Isobutyric acid, or 2-methylpropanoic acid, (CH3)2CHCO2H, is a geometric isomer of the butyric acid described above; it has different physical properties but similar chemical properties.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2009, Columbia
University Press.
Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
|
