pentanoic acid

1 7.4

A clear oily liquid used to make perfumes, medicines, and to soften plastics

noun
/ˌpɛn.təˈnoʊ.ɪk ˈæs.ɪd/

Specialized

: ácido pentanoico

The clear, oily liquid known as pentanoic acid is also used to manufacture specialized plasticizers.

Examples

Pentanoic acid is often used by chemists to manufacture certain fragrance compounds.
Some drugs contain derivatives of pentanoic acid to enhance their effectiveness.
Exposure to pentanoic acid can cause irritation if not handled with care in the laboratory.
The laboratory synthesized pentanoic acid for their experiments.
Is pentanoic acid safe for use in cosmetics?
Pentanoic acid is commonly utilized in the production of various perfumes and fragrance products.
In the pharmaceutical industry, pentanoic acid is a key ingredient in developing certain medications.

Synonyms

valeric acid

vspentanoic acid

Specialized

1 7.9

A clear oily substance with a strong smell used to make perfumes and medicines

is less noted for odor and is also used to make plasticizers

Surface Forms

pentanoic acid singular

pentanoic acids plural

Morphology

pentanoic + acid

If a learner knows the constituent 'pentanoic' as the adjective referring to a pentane-derived (five-carbon) carboxylic group and 'acid' as a substance forming salts with bases, the compound meaning (‘the carboxylic acid derived from pentane’) is directly derivable. Although this is specialized chemical vocabulary and likely unfamiliar to many B1 learners, its meaning is compositionally transparent given knowledge of both parts.

Etymology

Pentanoic acid comes from two parts: penta- meaning 'five' and acid meaning a 'sour' chemical. Imagine a short chain of five links with a sour end; this picture helps you remember that the word names an acid made of five units, which is why chemists use pentanoic acid in perfumes and medicines.