Which of the following is a carboxylic acid?

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Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a carboxylic acid?

Explanation:
Carboxylic acids have a carboxyl group, written as -COOH, attached to a carbon skeleton. Ethanoic acid is CH3COOH, so it contains this -COOH group and is therefore a carboxylic acid. The other options do not have the -COOH group: ethanol is C2H5OH, an alcohol with an -OH group; ethene is C2H4, a hydrocarbon with a C=C double bond; and ethyl ethanoate is CH3COOCH2CH3, an ester with a -COO- linkage, not a free -COOH group. So the correct choice is ethanoic acid.

Carboxylic acids have a carboxyl group, written as -COOH, attached to a carbon skeleton. Ethanoic acid is CH3COOH, so it contains this -COOH group and is therefore a carboxylic acid. The other options do not have the -COOH group: ethanol is C2H5OH, an alcohol with an -OH group; ethene is C2H4, a hydrocarbon with a C=C double bond; and ethyl ethanoate is CH3COOCH2CH3, an ester with a -COO- linkage, not a free -COOH group. So the correct choice is ethanoic acid.

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