Hydroxyalkanoic
Hydroxyalkanoic acids are a class of organic compounds consisting of a carboxylic acid group and a hydroxyl group attached to an aliphatic carbon chain. The hydroxyl group is typically located on the beta carbon relative to the acid, giving rise to beta-hydroxyalkanoic acids, though other positional isomers exist. They vary in chain length from short to long and can be linear or branched. Many hydroxyalkanoic acids are chiral at the carbon bearing the hydroxyl group.
In biology, hydroxyalkanoic acids are best known as monomers or intermediates in the biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates
They also occur as intermediates in fatty acid metabolism and can be formed chemically or biotechnologically
Applications include use as chiral building blocks in organic synthesis and as precursors to biodegradable plastics.
Safety and handling depend on the specific compound; most occur naturally in trace amounts or are tolerated