The OH group is a phenol group (an alcohol on R group but phenol group when attached to an aromatic ring (AR).
So it isn't an ester? It is just a carboxylic acid? I'm just confused with the naming because of the hydroxy
Actually, the functional group present in 4-hydroxybenzoic acid is a carboxylic acid. A carboxylic acid is characterized by the presence of a carbonyl group (C=O) and a hydroxyl group (OH) bonded to the same carbon atom. In this case, in 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, the carbonyl group is located at the end of the carbon chain, bonded to an oxygen atom, while the hydroxyl group is attached to the benzene ring. There is no ester functional group in 4-hydroxybenzoic acid. To determine functional groups in organic compounds, it is important to analyze the structure of the molecule and identify the specific patterns and chemical bonds.
