Next acids with 4 to 9 carbon atoms, smell pungent like goat s butter. Still higher molecular weighted organic acids are odourless. The first four carbonic acids are soluble in water. As the molecular weight increases, the solubility in water decreases. Organic acids with 10 or more carbon atoms are insoluble in water.
All organic acids are soluble in organic solvents like benzene, ethanol, ether, etc.
The acidic nature decreases as we go higher in the homologous series. The lower members readily show the litmus test turning a blue litmus paper to red. Most of these acids are obtained from hydrolysis of fats and are hence known as fatty acids. They have many industrial uses especially in soap and detergent industry. Chemical Properties 1.