butyric acid

butyric acid

butyric acid or butanoic acid , CH 3 CH 2 CH 2 CO 2 H, viscous, foul-smelling, liquid carboxylic acid; m.p. about -5°C; b.p. 163.5°C. It is miscible with water, ethanol, and ether. It is a low molecular weight fatty acid that is present in butter as an ester of glycerol; the odor of rancid butter is due largely to the presence of free butyric acid. Butyric acid is used in the manufacture of plastics. Isobutyric acid, or 2-methylpropanoic acid, (CH 3 ) 2 CHCO 2 H, is a geometric isomer of the butyric acid described above; it has different physical properties but similar chemical properties.

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"butyric acid." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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butyric acid

butyric acid A short‐chain saturated fatty acid (C4 : 0). It occurs as the triacylglycerol in 5–6% of butter fat, and in small amounts in other fats and oils. Also formed by intestinal bacterial fermentation of resistant starch, when it is possibly protective against the development of colo‐rectal cancer.

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DAVID A. BENDER. "butyric acid." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAVID A. BENDER. "butyric acid." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-butyricacid.html

DAVID A. BENDER. "butyric acid." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-butyricacid.html

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butyric

butyric (butyric acid, found in rancid butter) XIX. f. L. būtȳrum BUTTER + -IC.

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T. F. HOAD. "butyric." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "butyric." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-butyric.html

T. F. HOAD. "butyric." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-butyric.html

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