Preparations of Carboxylic Acids:
Functional group transformations
Carboxylic acids can be acquired through the oxidation of primary alcohols or aldehydes, the hydrolysis of nitriles, or the hydrolysis of esters that can be employed as protecting groups for carboxylic acids. Amides can as well be hydrolyzed to carboxylic acids. Though, fiercer reaction conditions are needed because of the lower reactivity of amides and thus amides are less helpful as carboxylic acid protecting groups.
Even though acid chlorides and anhydrides are simply hydrolyzed to carboxylic acids, the reaction serves no synthetic purpose because acid chlorides and acid anhydrides are synthesized from carboxylic acids in the 1st place. They are as well very much reactive to be employed as protecting groups.