Knowra Acrylic acid Acrylic acid Acrylic acid is the unsaturated carboxylic acid CH₂=CHCOOH. Its reactive carbon–carbon double bond makes it a major monomer for acrylate polymers and a precursor to other chemicals.
Free-radical polymerization : A chain-growth reaction in which radicals add successively to carbon–carbon double bonds. Radical addition links acrylic acid molecules into poly(acrylic acid) chains.
Superabsorbent polymer : A polymer that absorbs and retains large quantities of water relative to its own mass. Crosslinked sodium polyacrylate, made from acrylic acid, absorbs water in diapers and similar products.
Carboxylic acid : An organic compound containing a carboxyl group, –COOH, which can donate a proton. Acrylic acid combines this acidic group with a carbon–carbon double bond.
Methacrylic acid : An unsaturated carboxylic acid, CH₂=C(CH₃)COOH, used to make methacrylate polymers. Its extra methyl group changes polymerization behavior and produces a distinct family of polymers.
Propylene : A three-carbon alkene, CH₃CH=CH₂, used extensively as a petrochemical feedstock. Most industrial acrylic acid is produced by oxidizing propylene through acrolein.
Poly(acrylic acid) : A water-soluble polymer made from acrylic acid, with a carboxyl group on each repeat unit. It is the direct homopolymerization product of acrylic acid.
Pressure-sensitive adhesive : An adhesive that bonds under light pressure without requiring heat, water, or solvent activation. Acrylic acid units can add adhesion and substrate interactions to acrylic adhesive formulations.
Alkene : A hydrocarbon containing at least one carbon–carbon double bond. Acrylic acid’s alkene enables addition reactions and chain-growth polymerization.
Crotonic acid : An unsaturated carboxylic acid, CH₃CH=CHCOOH, with its double bond farther from the carboxyl group. Unlike acrylic acid, it has a nonconjugated carbon–carbon double bond and an added methyl group.
Acrolein : An unsaturated aldehyde, CH₂=CHCHO, used as an intermediate in chemical manufacturing. It is the intermediate oxidized to acrylic acid in the dominant industrial production route.
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