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Glite Dictionary
benzoic acid

benzoic acid

4.9
A white crystal chemical found in some tree resins and used to preserve food and make other chemicals
  • noun
  • /bɛnˈzoʊɪk ˈæsɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ácido benzoico

Examples

  • Do it to one of the other compounds right there and you get the same benzoic acid or you do it here.

  • These leave and now you have benzoic acid and benzoate, which is a base that can do that reaction next time, right?

  • Benzoic acid found in the delicious little berries is shown to thwart lung and colon cancer, and some forms of leukemia.

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  • Manufacturers have used benzoic acid for over a century as a food preservative to prevent spoilage.

  • The benzoic acid found in certain fruits helps inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria in food products.

  • In the lab, we synthesized benzoic acid from a variety of natural resins for further chemical analysis.

Surface Forms

benzoic acid singular
benzoic acids plural

Morphology

benzoic + acid

This is a compositional chemical name: the adjective 'benzoic' specifies the type/source and 'acid' names the class of substance, so the phrase simply denotes a particular kind of acid. Although technical, the structure is predictable and mirrors naming patterns in many languages (e.g., Spanish 'ácido benzoico'), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it is a specific acid.

Etymology

Benzoic acid may come from the resin 'benzoin' where benzoic gets its name, and the word acid simply means a sour chemical. So the name is like saying 'the acid from benzoin', which explains why we use it for the white compound found in resins and used to keep food fresh.