| 3-Hydroxypropionic acid[1] | |
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3-Hydroxypropanoic acid |
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Other names
3-hydroxypropionic acid |
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| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | 503-66-2 |
| ChemSpider | 61460 |
| DrugBank | DB03688 |
| KEGG | C01013 |
| ChEBI | CHEBI:33404 |
| Jmol-3D images | Image 1 |
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| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | C3H6O3 |
| Molar mass | 90.08 g/mol |
| Melting point |
<25 °C |
| Boiling point |
Decomposes |
| Solubility in water | Very soluble |
| Related compounds | |
| Related carboxylic acids | acetic acid glycolic acid propionic acid lactic acid malonic acid butyric acid hydroxybutyric acid |
| Related compounds | 1-propanol 2-propanol propionaldehyde acrolein |
| (verify) (what is: /?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) |
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| Infobox references | |
3-Hydroxypropionic acid is a carboxylic acid, specifically a beta hydroxy acid. It is an acidic viscous liquid with a pKa of 4.5.[1] It is very soluble in water, soluble in ethanol, and miscible with diethyl ether. Upon distillation, it dehydrates to form acrylic acid.
3-Hydroxypropionic acid is used in the industrial production of various chemicals such as acrylates. It can be produced by certain microbes.[2]
A method has been developed by the University of Minnesota to produce a biodegradable polymer polyester known as poly(3-hydroxypropionic acid). The method combines the high-molecular weight and control aspects of ring-opening polymerization with the commercial availability of the beta hydroxy acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid which is abbreviated as 3-HP. Since 3-HP can be derived from biological sources, the resulting material, poly(3-hydroxypropionic acid) or P(3-HP), is biorenewable. The new method allows direct synthesis of the bio-based polymer P(3-HP) from 3-HP, a commercial monomer that is derived from corn. The method uses a single vessel reactor for simple synthesis and rapid scale up. The method results in a higher molecular weight which makes the polymer more structurally sound using a process with lower toxicity than competing technologies.