Page "Carboxylic acid" Paragraph 5

Salts and esters of carboxylic acids are called carboxylates.

When a carboxyl group is deprotonated, its conjugate base, a carboxylate anion is formed.

Carboxylate ions are resonance stabilized and this increased stability makes carboxylic acids more acidic than alcohols.

Carboxylic acids can be seen as reduced or alkylated forms of the Lewis acid carbon dioxide ; under some circumstances they can be decarboxylated to yield carbon dioxide.