# Ethanol can be oxidised to form a carboxylic acid. Explain what is meant by the term carboxylic acid, name the carboxylic acid formed from ethanol, identify its functional group, state one typical chemical property of carboxylic acids, and name the homologous series member with four carbon atoms.

> OCR A-Level Chemistry A (H432) — 6.1 Aromatic compounds, carbonyls and acids · Explain · 5 marks

> Alcohols such as ethanol are widely used as solvents and fuels. Under certain conditions, ethanol can be further oxidised to produce a member of another homologous series.

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. Carboxylic acids are organic compounds containing the functional group –COOH
2. The carboxylic acid formed from the oxidation of ethanol is ethanoic acid
3. The functional group of a carboxylic acid is –COOH (accept: carboxyl group)
4. Carboxylic acids have typical acidic properties, e.g. they react with metals / carbonates / bases / turn litmus red / have a pH below 7
5. The member of the carboxylic acid homologous series with four carbon atoms is butanoic acid

## Key terms

- [carboxylic acids](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/carboxylic-acids)
- [functional group](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/functional-group)
- [homologous series](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/homologous-series)
- [oxidised](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/oxidised)

## Related

- [Revision notes for OCR A-Level Chemistry A (H432)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
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