The first step in the reduction of a carbonyl with LiAlH 4 is therefore carried out using an ether as the solvent. The product of the hydride reduction reaction is then allowed to react with water in a second step to form the corresponding alcohol. NaBH 4 is less reactive toward protic solvents, which means that borohydride reductions are usually done in a single step, using an alcohol as the solvent. The carboxylate ion formed in this reaction is a hybrid of two resonance structures. By increasing the stability of the conjugate base, resonance increases the acidity of the acid that forms this base.
Carboxylic acids are therefore much stronger acids than the analogous alcohols.
Carboxylic acids were among the first organic compounds to be discovered. As a result, they have well-established common names that are often derived from the Latin stems of their sources in nature. A list of common carboxylic acids is given in the table below. The systematic nomenclature of carboxylic acids is easy to understand. The ending - oic acid is added to the name of the parent alkane to indicate the presence of the CO 2 H functional group.