Extent of ozone's reaction with isolated aquatic fulvic acid

In ozonolysis, ozone is used to cleave a carbon–carbon double bond to form aldehydes and ketones, or carboxylic acids, depending on the work-up.
Ozone is a symmetrical bent molecule stabilized by a resonance structure.

Carboxylic acids react with alcohols to yield esters via an acid-catalyzed condensation reaction called Fischer esterification. This is a nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction that proceeds via a tetrahedral intermediate, where a water molecule is eliminated as the leaving group.

The Fischer esterification reaction was developed by the German chemist Emil Fischer in 1895. It is a condensation reaction between carboxylic acids and alcohols in an acidic medium to give esters and water.

Alkynes undergo oxidative cleavage in the presence of oxidizing reagents like potassium permanganate and ozone. The triple bond — one σ bond and two π bonds — is completely cleaved, and the alkyne is oxidized to carboxylic acids. When warm and basic aqueous potassium permanganate is used as an oxidizing agent, alkynes are first converted to carboxylate salts via an unstable α-diketone intermediate. Further, a mild acid treatment protonates the carboxylate anions generating free carboxylic acid...

Epoxides that are three-membered ring systems are more reactive than other cyclic and acyclic ethers. The high reactivity of epoxides originates from the strain present in the ring. This ring strain acts as a driving force for epoxides to undergo ring-opening reactions either with halogen acids or weak nucleophiles in the presence of mild acid. The acid catalyst converts the epoxide oxygen, a poor leaving group, into an oxonium ion, a better leaving group, making the reaction feasible. The...

Few compounds act as strong acids. A far greater number of compounds behave as weak acids and only partially react with water, leaving a large majority of dissolved molecules in their original form and generating a relatively small amount of hydronium ions. Weak acids are commonly encountered in nature, being the substances partly responsible for the tangy taste of citrus fruits, the stinging sensation of insect bites, and the unpleasant smells associated with body odor. A familiar example of a...