Compounds

Benzoic acid

The defining acid of Siam benzoin (roughly 10–20 %). First isolated from benzoin by sublimation in the sixteenth century; the whole benzene family of chemistry takes its name from it. A permitted food preservative in its salt form, sodium benzoate.

· Atlas · Compounds

Benzoic acid
Roleacid
FormulaC7H6O2
Molecular weight122.12 g/mol
IUPAC namebenzoic acid
XLogP1.9
PubChem CID243
SafetyMild irritant; occasional sensitizer.

Scent facets

  • Faint, sweet-balsamic, slightly sharp and clean; sublimes when heated and gives benzoin smoke its lightly acrid top.

Found in

Also called

  • benzoic acid
  • 65-85-0
  • Dracylic acid
  • benzenecarboxylic acid
  • Benzeneformic acid
  • Carboxybenzene

Data: PubChem, GBIF (retrieved 2026-09-09); descriptions by Benjuí.