Benzoic acid, C₇H₆O₂ (or C₆H₅COOH), is a colorless crystalline solid and the simplest aromatic In organic chemistry, the structures of some rings of atoms are unexpectedly stable. Aromaticity is a chemical property in which a conjugated ring of unsaturated bonds, lone pairs, or empty orbitals exhibit a stabilization stronger than would be expected by the stabilization of conjugation alone. It can also be considered a manifestation of cyclic carboxylic acid Carboxylic acids are organic acids characterized by the presence of a carboxyl group, which has the formula -COH, usually written -COOH or -CO2H. Carboxylic acids are Brønsted-Lowry acids — they are proton donors. Salts and anions of carboxylic acids are called carboxylates. The name derived from gum benzoin Benzoin resin or styrax resin is a balsamic resin obtained from the bark of several species of trees in the genus Styrax. It is used in perfumes, some kinds of incense, and medicine . Its principal component is benzoic acid. Commonly called "benzoin", it is called "benzoin resin" here to distinguish it from the crystalline, which was for a long time the only source for benzoic acid. This weak acid and its salts are used as a food preservative. Benzoic acid is an important precursor for the synthesis of many other organic substances.

Contents 1 History 2 Production 2.1 Industrial preparations 2.2 Laboratory synthesis 2.2.1 By hydrolysis 2.2.2 From benzaldehyde 2.2.3 From bromobenzene 2.2.4 From benzyl alcohol 2.2.5 Historical preparation </