Loading AI tools
Class of chemical compounds From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A beta hydroxy carboxylic acid or β-hydroxy carboxylic acid (BHA) is a carboxylic acid containing a hydroxy functional group separated by two carbon atoms. They are related to alpha hydroxy acids, in which the two functional groups are separated by only one carbon atom.[1]
Upon dehydration, beta-hydroxy acids yield an alpha-beta unsaturated acid.
Compared to their non-hydroxylated counterpart, beta hydroxy carboxylic acids are stronger, although weaker than the alpha hydroxy acids. Due to the larger distance, the intramolecular hydrogen bridge is less easily formed compared to the alpha hydroxy acids. The table summarizes some values on the propionic series.
| Name | pKa |
|---|---|
| Propanoic acid | 4.87[2] |
| α-Hydroxypropionic acid | 3.86[3] |
| β-Hydroxypropionic acid | 4.51[2] |
Aldonic acids, a type of sugar acid, are a class of naturally occurring β-hydroxycarboxylic acids. They have the general chemical formula HO2C(CHOH)nCH2OH. Gluconic acid, a particularly common aldonic acid, the oxidized derivative of glucose.
Other beta hydroxy acids include:
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
