0A peroxy acid is an acid which contains an acidic –OOH group
Peroxycarboxylic acids are about 1000× weaker than the parent carboxylic acid, owing the absence of resonance stabilization of the anion. For similar reasons, their pKa values tend also to be relatively insensitive to the substituent R.
The largest use of organic peroxy acids is for the conversion of alkenes to epoxides. Certain cyclic ketones are converted to the ring-expanded esters using peracids in a baeyer villiger oxidation .
Writing down a brief note on reactions using peroxy acids.(application):
- RCO2H + H2O2 ? RCO3H + H2O
A related reaction involves treatment of the carboxylic anhydride:
- (RCO)2O + H2O2 → RCO3H + RCO2H
