Perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs), or perfluorocarboxylates are fully fluorinated[1] organofluorine compounds—or perfluorinated compounds—with carboxylic acid or carboxylate functional groups. PFCAs are fluorocarbon derivatives. The simplest PFCA is trifluoroacetic acid.
Larger PFCAs such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are under scrutiny for their toxicity and presence in humans, which is more than that of wildlife.[2] Longer chained PFCAs such as perfluorononanoic acid are more bioaccumulative[2] and can predominate in wildlife biomonitoring samples.[3]
PFCAs with one carboxylic acid group and five to nine fluorinated carbons function as fluorosurfactants.[4]