What does dicarboxylic mean?
Dicarboxylic is a technical adjective used in organic chemistry to describe any molecule that carries two carboxyl groups — the acidic –COOH units that define organic acids. Because each of these groups can donate a proton, dicarboxylic acids are doubly acidic, which makes them especially useful building blocks in industry and biology. Familiar examples include oxalic acid (the simplest), malonic acid, succinic acid, and adipic acid, the last of which is manufactured on a huge scale for making nylon. In biochemistry, several dicarboxylic acids serve as intermediates in the Krebs cycle, the metabolic pathway that releases energy from food. The word almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'dicarboxylic acid' and is rarely heard outside scientific writing. Its counterpart terms are 'monocarboxylic', for one carboxyl group, and 'tricarboxylic', for three — a neat numerical system borrowed from Greek prefixes.
adjective(Of an organic compound, especially an acid) having two carboxyl groups (–COOH) in its molecule.
- (Of an organic compound) possessing two carboxyl groups in its molecular structure.
"Oxalic acid is the simplest dicarboxylic acid, containing just two carbon atoms."
"Succinic acid, a naturally occurring dicarboxylic acid, plays a role in cellular metabolism."
"The polymer was synthesised from a diamine and a dicarboxylic acid."
The citric acid cycle that powers nearly every cell in your body runs on a relay of dicarboxylic acids — tiny two-pronged molecules passing energy like a bucket brigade.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dicarboxylic
The word combines the Greek prefix di- ('two') with 'carboxylic', itself a blend coined in the nineteenth century from 'carbon', 'ox(ygen)', and '-yl'. The term 'carboxyl' was devised by German chemists to name the characteristic –COOH group of organic acids, so 'dicarboxylic' literally signals a compound bearing two such groups. Related chemical terms include 'monocarboxylic' and 'tricarboxylic', built on the same pattern with different numerical prefixes.
Related word forms
How dicarboxylic is actually used
Strictly technical vocabulary used almost exclusively in organic chemistry and biochemistry. It normally appears attributively before 'acid' or 'compound' rather than standing alone as a predicate adjective.
Easily confused with dicarboxylic
Monocarboxylic compounds have a single carboxyl group, whereas dicarboxylic compounds have exactly two.
Tricarboxylic compounds carry three carboxyl groups rather than the two found in dicarboxylic compounds.