The COOH group, also known as carboxyl group, consists of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and single-bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is the characteristic functional group of carboxylic acids.
Think of the COOH group as a flag on a castle, it identifies what kind of compound we're dealing with. Just like how you can identify a country by its flag, you can identify carboxylic acids by their COOH group!
Functional Group: A specific grouping of elements within molecules that are responsible for the characteristic chemical reactions of those molecules.
Aldehyde: An organic compound containing a formyl group (-CHO), which consists of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and single bonded to hydrogen.
Ketone: An organic compound characterized by the presence of a carbonyl group in which the carbon atom is covalently bonded to an oxygen atom and two other atoms or groups.
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