Hydroxybutyric acid
Index of chemical compounds with the same name
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hydroxybutyric acids form a group of four-carbon organic compounds that have both hydroxy and carboxylic acid functional groups.[1] They can be viewed as derivatives of butyric acid. The carboxylate anion and the esters of hydroxybutyric acids are known as hydroxybutyrates. β-hydroxybutyric acid is relevant to human health as it is a member of a class of products of fatty acid oxidation referred to as ketone bodies.
Skeletal formula of α-hydroxybutyric acid
Skeletal formula of β-hydroxybutyric acid
Skeletal formula of γ-hydroxybutyric acid
Skeletal formula of 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid
Skeletal formula of 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid
The isomers are distinguished by the distance between the two functional groups and the branching.
- alpha-Hydroxybutyric acid (2-Hydroxybutyric acid)
- beta-Hydroxybutyric acid (3-Hydroxybutyric acid)
- gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (4-Hydroxybutyric acid, GHB)
- 2-Hydroxyisobutyric acid
- 3-Hydroxyisobutyric acid
