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Why are sodium and potassium salts of carboxylic acids soluble in water?
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carboxylic acid
Alcohols may be oxidized to give aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids. The oxidation of organic compounds generally increases the number of bonds from carbon to oxygen, and it may decrease the number of bonds to hydrogen.
Sodium and potassium salts of carboxylic acids are generally quite soluble in water because the conversion of a carboxylic acid into its salt form creates a more polar, charged species.12
While the hydrocarbon chain of a carboxylic acid is hydrophobic, the carboxylate group () is hydrophilic. When a carboxylic acid is treated with a strong base, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, the acidic hydrogen is replaced by a metal cation (like or ). This process results in the formation of an ionic salt, which is significantly more polar than the undissociated acid, allowing it to dissolve readily in water.21