Editing Carboxylic acid (section)

===Industrial routes===
In general, industrial routes to carboxylic acids differ from those used on a smaller scale because they require specialized equipment.
* Carbonylation of alcohols as illustrated by the [[Cativa process]] for the production of acetic acid. Formic acid is prepared by a different carbonylation pathway, also starting from methanol.
* Oxidation of [[aldehyde]]s with air using cobalt and manganese catalysts. The required aldehydes are readily obtained from alkenes by [[hydroformylation]].
* Oxidation of hydrocarbons using air. For simple alkanes, this method is inexpensive but not selective enough to be useful. Allylic and benzylic compounds undergo more selective oxidations. Alkyl groups on a benzene ring are oxidized to the carboxylic acid, regardless of its chain length. [[Benzoic acid]] from [[toluene]], [[terephthalic acid]] from ''para''-[[xylene]], and [[phthalic acid]] from ''ortho''-[[xylene]] are illustrative large-scale conversions. [[Acrylic acid]] is generated from [[propene]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Riemenschneider|first1=Wilhelm|date=2002|chapter=Carboxylic Acids, Aliphatic|title=Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry|publisher=Wiley-VCH|location=Weinheim|doi=10.1002/14356007.a05_235|isbn=3527306730}}.</ref>
* Oxidation of ethene using [[silicotungstic acid]] catalyst.
* Base-catalyzed dehydrogenation of alcohols.
* Carbonylation coupled to the addition of water. This method is effective and versatile for alkenes that generate secondary and tertiary [[carbocation]]s, e.g. [[isobutylene]] to [[pivalic acid]]. In the [[Koch reaction]], the addition of water and carbon monoxide to [[alkenes]] or [[alkynes]] is catalyzed by strong acids. Hydrocarboxylations involve the simultaneous addition of water and [[Carbon monoxide|CO]]. Such reactions are sometimes called "[[Walter Reppe|Reppe chemistry]]."
:{{chem2|[[Acetylene|HC\tCH]] + CO + H2O → [[Acrylic acid|CH2\dCH\sCO2H]]}}
* Hydrolysis of [[triglyceride]]s obtained from plant or animal oils. These methods of synthesizing some long-chain carboxylic acids are related to [[soap making]].
* [[Fermentation (biochemistry)|Fermentation]] of ethanol. This method is used in the production of [[vinegar]].
* The [[Kolbe–Schmitt reaction]] provides a route to [[salicylic acid]], precursor to [[aspirin]].