See image — Aldehydes Ketones and Carboxylic Acids Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Concept: The general structure shown is HO2C-(CH2)n-CO2H, a straight-chain dicarboxylic acid where n represents the number of methylene (CH2) groups between the two carboxylic acid groups. Reasoning: When n = 4, the structure becomes HO2C-(CH2)4-CO2H, which is hexanedioic acid. Counting the total carbon atoms: 4 CH2 groups + 2 COOH groups = 6 carbons total. Identifying the common names of dicarboxylic acids: - Oxalic acid: HOOC-COOH (n = 0, 2 carbons) - Malonic acid: HOOC-CH2-COOH (n = 1, 3 carbons) - Succinic acid: HOOC-(CH2)2-COOH (n = 2, 4 carbons) - Glutaric acid: HOOC-(CH2)3-COOH (n = 3, 5 carbons) - Adipic acid: HOOC-(CH2)4-COOH (n = 4, 6 carbons) With n = 4, the compound is HOOC-(CH2)4-COOH, which is hexanedioic acid, commonly known as Adipic acid. Why other options fail: (a) Malonic acid has only n = 1 (3 carbons total) (b) Succinic acid has n = 2 (4 carbons total) (d) Oxalic acid has n = 0 (2 carbons total) Therefore, the correct answer is C.