Global Chemical Database

Cyclobutanecarboxylic acid

CAS 3721-95-7

Cyclobutanecarboxylic acid
What's the difference between a triangle and a folded square?
In small-ring chemistry, quite a lot. Cyclobutanecarboxylic acid contains a four-carbon cyclobutane ring attached to a carboxylic acid. Cyclobutane is strained.

If its four carbons formed a perfectly flat square, the bond angles would be around 90 degrees—far from the ~109.5 degrees carbon normally prefers. So the molecule does something clever. It folds.
Published: 2026-08-16
View complete chemical information for Cyclobutanecarboxylic acid