[News & Trends]:The difference between benzoic acid and benzoyl chloride

Although benzoic acid and benzoyl chloride are both benzyl compounds, they have significant differences in chemical structure, use, and properties


Firstly, from a chemical perspective, benzoic acid is an organic acid with a carboxyl group (COOH) in its molecular structure, while benzoyl chloride is an organic chloride with a chlorinated carbonyl group (COCl) in its molecular structure. Due to the differences in their structures, their properties are also not entirely the same


Benzoic acid is a white crystalline substance at room temperature, with a strong irritating odor. It is insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents such as ethanol and ether. It is a weak acid that can react with bases to form corresponding salts and react with alkali metals to form corresponding esters. Benzoic acid has strong bactericidal, antibacterial, and anti-corrosion effects, and is widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries


In contrast, benzoyl chloride is a colorless and transparent liquid with a pungent odor that can quickly hydrolyze to produce benzoic acid and hydrogen chloride. Benzoyl chloride has strong activity and reacts violently with various substances, such as reacting with water to produce hydrogen chloride, reacting with alcohols to produce esters, and reacting with amines to produce amides. Therefore, benzoyl chloride is commonly used as an organic synthesis and solvent


In addition, there are differences in the application fields between benzoic acid and benzoyl chloride. Benzoic acid is mainly used in industries such as pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, and dyes for purposes such as sterilization, preservation, and seasoning. Benzoyl chloride is widely used in the field of organic synthesis, commonly used in organic synthesis reactions such as esterification, acylation, and chlorination


In summary, there are significant differences in chemical structure, use, and properties between benzoic acid and benzoyl chloride. Understanding their differences helps us to use and choose these two compounds correctly, and to play their roles in different fields.