Hydroxybutyric acid
Hydroxybutyric acid is a group of four-carbon organic compounds that have both hydroxyl 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.
![α-hydroxybutyric acid structure](../I/2-hydroxybutyric_acid.png.webp)
Skeletal formula of α-hydroxybutyric acid
![β-hydroxybutyric acid structure](../I/Beta-Hydroxybutyric_acid-2D-skeletal.svg.png.webp)
Skeletal formula of β-hydroxybutyric acid
![γ-hydroxybutyric acid structure](../I/4-Hydroxybutans%C3%A4ure_-_4-Hydroxybutanoic_acid.svg.png.webp)
Skeletal formula of γ-hydroxybutyric acid
![α-hydroxyisobutyric acid structure](../I/2-HydroxyisobutyricAcid.svg.png.webp)
Skeletal formula of 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid
![β-hydroxyisobutyric acid structure](../I/3-Hydroxyisobutyric_acid.png.webp)
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
References
- Miltenberger, Karlheinz (2000). "Hydroxycarboxylic Acids, Aliphatic". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a13_507.
External links
- Hydroxybutyrates at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
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