carboxylic acid

noun

: an organic acid (such as acetic acid) containing one or more carboxyl groups

Examples of carboxylic acid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In some instances, both aldehyde and carboxylic acid molecules are present. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024 In yellow feathers, the chains ended with a different molecule called carboxylic acid. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024 Aliphatic aldehydes, which have been found in some types of carbonaceous meteorites that have fallen to Earth, are precursors of carboxylic acids and amino acids. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 14 Nov. 2023 Another study found carboxylic acid in our skin to be an important attractant. Judy Stone, Forbes, 6 May 2023 The new study had too few participants to say what personal characteristics make someone more likely to produce high levels of carboxylic acids—and there’s no easy way to test your own skin’s carboxylic acid levels outside of the laboratory, Vosshall says. Daniel Leonard, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2022 This can be accomplished by means of a process known as decarboxylation during which heat is applied to cannabis in order to trigger a chemical reaction that removes the COOH group (carboxylic acid) from each cannabinoid, converting Delta 8 THC into Delta 9 THC. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 11 Oct. 2022 People with skin that produce greater levels of carboxylic acid were significantly more appealing to mosquitoes than those that produced less. Tracey Harrington McCoy, Peoplemag, 18 Oct. 2022 But one difference was particularly distinctive: The mosquito magnets had much higher rates of carboxylic acid on their skin than the low attractors. Zoe Sottile, CNN, 22 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carboxylic acid was in 1868

Dictionary Entries Near carboxylic acid

Cite this Entry

“Carboxylic acid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carboxylic%20acid. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

carboxylic acid

noun
: an organic acid (as an acetic acid) containing one or more carboxyl groups

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