Benzoic acid

Benzoic acid is an aromatic carboxylic acid with formula C₆H₅COOH. It occurs naturally in some plants and is used as a food preservative and chemical precursor.

Carboxylic acid: An organic compound containing a carboxyl group, –COOH, which can donate a proton. Benzoic acid’s –COOH group gives it its acidic character and defines its chemical family.
Food preservation: Methods used to delay spoilage and maintain the safety or quality of food. Benzoic acid inhibits some yeasts, molds, and bacteria in acidic foods.
Benzene: A six-carbon aromatic hydrocarbon with formula C₆H₆ and a ring of delocalized electrons. Benzoic acid consists of a benzene ring bearing a carboxyl group.
Gum benzoin: An aromatic resin obtained from Styrax trees and historically used in incense and medicines. Benzoic acid was historically isolated from this resin, whose name gave the acid its name.
Antimicrobial: A substance or treatment that kills microorganisms or inhibits their growth. Benzoic acid’s preservative role depends on suppressing susceptible microbes.
Benzoate: The anion or a salt of benzoic acid, formed when its carboxyl group loses a proton. Benzoate predominates when benzoic acid is dissolved in neutral or alkaline conditions.
Sodium benzoate: The sodium salt of benzoic acid, widely used as a food preservative. It dissolves in water more readily than benzoic acid and can supply benzoate to foods.
Carboxyl group: The functional group –COOH, consisting of a carbonyl and hydroxyl group attached to one carbon. This is the part of benzoic acid that can lose a proton and form benzoate.
Justus von Liebig: A German chemist who helped establish modern organic chemistry and chemical education. Liebig investigated benzoic acid and its derivatives in nineteenth-century organic chemistry.
Food additive: A substance added to food to achieve a technological effect, such as preservation or coloring. Benzoic acid is regulated as a preservative when intentionally added to foods.

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