The key difference between methacrylic acid and acrylic acid is that methacrylic acid molecule has a methyl group attached to the alkene group, whereas acrylic acid molecule has no other groups attached to the alkene group.
Acrylic acid is an organic compound which has both an alkene group and a carboxylic acid group in the same molecule. Methacrylic acid is a derivative of acrylic acid; it has a methyl group attached to the acrylic acid structure.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Methacrylic Acid
3. What is Acrylic Acid
4. Side by Side Comparison – Methacrylic Acid vs Acrylic Acid in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Methacrylic Acid?
Methacrylic acid is an organic compound having the chemical formula C4H6O2. We can denote methacrylic acid as MAA. It is a colourless, viscous liquid. This compound falls under the category of carboxylic acids, and it has an unpleasant odour. We can dissolve methacrylic acid in warm water as well; it is miscible with most organic solvents. In industrial scale, we can produce this acid in large scale to be used as a precursor for esters of methacrylic acid and polymer materials such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).
Figure 01: Structure of Methacrylic Acid
When considering the production of methacrylic acid, we can produce it from acetone cyanohydrin using sulfuric acid. Here, this acid converts into methacrylamide sulfate. This product can be hydrolyzed into methacrylic acid. In addition, we can also prepare it from decarboxylation of itaconic acid, citraconic acid, mesaconic acid, etc. Moreover, methacrylic acid is used in some nail primers to help acrylic nails adhere to the nail plates.
What is Acrylic Acid?
Acrylic acid is an organic compound having the chemical formula C3H4O2. It is the simplest carboxylic acid with unsaturation (it has a double bond adjacent to the carboxylic group). Unlike methacrylic acid, this molecule has no methyl group attached to the unsaturated region of the molecule. Acrylic acid is a colourless liquid, and it has a characteristic tart smell. This compound is miscible with water and is soluble in organic solvents such as alcohol, ether and chloroform.
Figure 02: Structure of Acrylic Acid
There are different ways to produce acrylic acid. The major pathway is the oxidation of propylene. Here, we can get propylene as a byproduct of the production of ethylene and gasoline. However, propane is a significantly cheaper source than propylene; thus, we can use propane as an alternative.
Acrylic acid has some important uses. For example, it is used in industries such as diaper production, water treatment industry and textile industry. Mainly, this compound is important as a polymer material because it easily forms polymers with other monomers such as acrylamides to form homopolymers and copolymers.
What is the Difference Between Methacrylic Acid and Acrylic Acid?
The key difference between methacrylic acid and acrylic acid is that methacrylic acid molecule has a methyl group attached to the alkene group, whereas acrylic acid molecule has no other groups attached to the alkene group. Moreover, methacrylic acid is composed of a methyl group, double bond and carboxylic group while acrylic acid is composed of a double bond and carboxylic group.
The following table summarizes the difference between methacrylic acid and acrylic acid.
Summary – Methacrylic Acid vs Acrylic Acid
Methacrylic acid is a derivative of acrylic acid; it has a methyl group attached to the acrylic acid structure. The key difference between methacrylic acid and acrylic acid is that methacrylic acid molecule has a methyl group attached to the alkene group, whereas acrylic acid molecule has no other groups attached to the alkene group.
Reference:
1. “Methacrylic Acid.” Methacrylic Acid – an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, Available here.
2. “Acrylic Acid.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Mar. 2020, Available here.
3. “Acrylic Acid.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Methacrylic acid” By User:Bryan Derksen – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Acrylic acid” By User:Bryan Derksen – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia