What is the Difference Between Butyrate and Butyric Acid

The key difference between butyrate and butyric acid is that butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid having four carbon atoms, whereas butyric acid is the conjugate base of butyrate.

Butyric acid is an organic compound. It is an acid having an unpleasant odor and a bitter and pungent taste. It is also known as butanoic acid. The anion formed from the removal of a proton from this acid is known as a butyrate anion.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Butyrate
3. What is Butyric Acid (Butanoic Acid)
4. Butyrate vs Butyric Acid in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Butyrate vs Butyric Acid

What is Butyrate?

Butyrate is the conjugate base of butyric acid. It forms from the removal of one proton from the carboxylic acid group in the butyric acid molecule. The most common compounds consisting of butyrate anion include sodium butyrate and calcium magnesium butyrate.

Sodium butyrate is a chemical compound having the chemical formula Na(C3H7COO). It is the sodium salt of butyric acid. This compound has different effects on cultured mammalian cells, which include the inhibition of proliferation, induction of differentiation, and induction of the repression of gene expression. Therefore, we can use this substance in laboratory applications.

Calcium magnesium butyrate is a supplement consisting of butyrate short-chain fatty acid combined with calcium and magnesium. It is mainly useful as a butyrate supplement. Furthermore, it is more stable than sodium butyrate. It also has more added benefits, such as increasing the nutrient content in our diet. Moreover, it is less hygroscopic. Therefore, the stability is increased.

What is Butyric Acid (Butanoic Acid)?

Butyric acid is an organic compound having the chemical formula C3H7COOH. It is also known as butanoic acid. It is a straight-chain alkyl carboxylic acid that appears as an oily, colorless liquid having an unpleasant odor. The salts formed from this acid are collectively known as butyrates.

Generally, this acid is not abundant in nature. However, the esters of this acid are widely distributed in nature. Commonly, it is important in industries and is an important component in the mammalian gut.

Industrially, we can produce butyric acid by hydroformylation of propene and syngas. This reaction gives butyraldehyde, which then can be oxidized to get butyric acid. Moreover, butyric acid is also formed from microbial biosynthesis processes by some microorganisms such as obligate anaerobic microorganisms, including Clostridium butyricum.

When considering the uses of butyric acid, it is important in the preparation of various butyrate esters to produce cellulose acetate butyrate. It is also useful as food and perfume additives, as a fishing bait additive, as a component in stink bombs, etc.

What is the Difference Between Butyrate and Butyric Acid?

Butyrate is the conjugate base of butyric acid. Butyric acid is an organic compound having the chemical formula C3H7COOH. The key difference between butyrate and butyric acid is that butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid having four carbon atoms, whereas butyric acid is the conjugate base of butyrate.

The below infographic presents the differences between butyrate and butyric acid in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Butyrate vs Butyric Acid

Butyric acid is an organic compound. It is an acid having an unpleasant odor and a bitter and pungent taste. It is also known as butanoic acid. The anion formed from the removal of a proton from this acid is known as a butyrate anion. The key difference between butyrate and butyric acid is that butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid having four carbon atoms, whereas butyric acid is the conjugate base of butyrate.

Reference:

1. Eyvazzadeh, Aimee. “Butyric Acid: What Is It, and What Are the Benefits?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 25 Oct. 2019.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Sodium butyrate formula V.1” By Jü – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Butyric acid acsv” By Calvero. – Selfmade with ChemDraw. (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia