Chloroacetic acid is a Organochlorine chemistry, which is just the conjugated acid of chloroacetic acid. It is extracted from acetic acid. Chloroacetic acid is a type of chlorocarboxylic acid, which is an acetic acid with 2-chloro substituents. In industry, this acid is called Chloroacetic acid (MCA), and its chemical formula is C2H3ClO2. The other names for this acid are chloroacetic acid, 2-chloroacetic acid, and 2-chloroacetic acid. It is a halogenated acetic acid with an acid concentration of around 80%. It is an effective component of organic synthesis. This acid is a colorless or light brown crystalline substance in its solid form, while in its aqueous form it is a colorless solution of a white crystalline solid. This acid is corrosive to metals and tissues. It is used as a chemical intermediate, herbicide, antibacterial agent, and also as a preservative. When chloroacetic acid is heated and decomposed, it will release highly toxic and corrosive hydrogen chloride and phosgene smoke.

Structure of chloroacetic acid

The chemical formula or Molecular formula of chloroacetic acid is C2H3ClO2 or ClCH2COOH. The IUPAC name for this acid is 2-chloroacetic acid.

Preparation of chloroacetic acid

Chloroacetic acid is a type of chlorocarboxylic acid, which is an acetic acid with 2-chloro substituents. There are two methods available for industrial preparation. The most common method is to chlorinate acetic acid in the presence of Acetic anhydride, which is a catalyst.

However, impurities such as Dichloroacetic acid and Trichloroacetic acid will be formed in this process, which is difficult to be separated by distillation. This is the disadvantage of this method.

The second method is to use sulfuric acid as a catalyst to hydrolyze Trichloroethylene. This process is carried out in a concentrated sulfuric acid (at least 75%) solution at 130-140 ° C, which can produce high-purity products.

Chemical properties of chloroacetic acid

When chloroacetic acid is heated, it forms carbon dioxide and hydrogen chloride gas as by-products.

C2H3O2Cl+O2 → CO2+H2O+HCl

Chloroacetic acid reacts with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to produce Sodium chloroacetate and water

C2H3ClO2+NaOH → C2H2O2NaCl+H2O

Thioglycolic acid (C2H4O2S) is prepared by replacing chloride with sulfide when chloroacetic acid reacts with Sodium thiosulfate. Thioglycolic acid is a stabilizer of polyvinyl chloride and a component of some cosmetics.

ClCH2CO2H+Na2S2O3 → Na [O3S2CH2CO2H]+NaCl
Na [O3S2CH2CO2H]+H2O → HSCH2CO2H+NaHSO4