i mean, it's ch3cooc6h4cooh (what a mouthful). ya, so it's got hydroxide- shouldn't it be a base? but it's not, apparantly, but why?
2007-04-12 15:17:57 · 3 answers · asked by thebrainwaver 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Salicylic acid is doubly an acid. It is o-hydroxybenzoic acid, HO-C6H4-COOH. OH attached to a benzene ring is acidic. Acetylsalicylic acid is CH3COO-C6H4-COOH. So the COOH is still an acid.
2007-04-12 15:26:52 · answer #1 · answered by steve_geo1 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The COOH. That's a carboxylic acid group. It's a weak acid because the H ion can break free relatively easily - proton donor. The O's are tightly bonded to the carbon atom.
2007-04-12 15:32:42 · answer #2 · answered by virtualguy92107 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't actually have the hydroxide group. Actually, that's not a group in organic chemistry. It would be called a hydroxyl or alcohol group (-OH). Check out the source for a picture. But it has the carboxcylic acid group -COOH. That's why it's an acid.
2007-04-12 15:28:49 · answer #3 · answered by Eric 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋