Hernando Madriaga
History
Propanoic acid (also known as propionic acid from the Greek words protos, meaning first, and pion, meaning fat) is a naturally occurring carboxylic acid with chemical formula CH3CH2COOH. It is a clear liquid with a pungent odor.Propanoic acid was first described in 1844 by Johann Gottlieb, who found it among the degradation products of sugar.Over the next few years, other chemists produced propanoic acid in various other ways, none of them realizing they were producing the same substance.In 1847, the French chemist Jean-Baptiste Dumas established all the acids to be the same compound, which he called propionic acid.
PROPERTIES
Propanoic acid has physical properties intermediate between those of the smaller carboxylic acids, formic and acetic acids, and the larger fatty acids. It is miscible with water, but can be removed from water by adding salt. As with acetic and formic acids, it consists of hydrogen bonded pairs of molecules as both the liquid and the vapor.Propanoic acid displays the general properties of carboxylic acids: It can form amide, ester, anhydride, and chloride derivatives.
Propanoic acid (also known as propionic acid from the Greek words protos, meaning first, and pion, meaning fat) is a naturally occurring carboxylic acid with chemical formula CH3CH2COOH. It is a clear liquid with a pungent odor.Propanoic acid was first described in 1844 by Johann Gottlieb, who found it among the degradation products of sugar.Over the next few years, other chemists produced propanoic acid in various other ways, none of them realizing they were producing the same substance.In 1847, the French chemist Jean-Baptiste Dumas established all the acids to be the same compound, which he called propionic acid.
PROPERTIES
Propanoic acid has physical properties intermediate between those of the smaller carboxylic acids, formic and acetic acids, and the larger fatty acids. It is miscible with water, but can be removed from water by adding salt. As with acetic and formic acids, it consists of hydrogen bonded pairs of molecules as both the liquid and the vapor.Propanoic acid displays the general properties of carboxylic acids: It can form amide, ester, anhydride, and chloride derivatives.