Carboxylic acids readily dissolve in aqueous sodium bicarbonate, liberating carbon dioxide. Which one of the following is correct?

Options

A. The free carboxylic acid and its conjugate base are of comparable stability
B. The free carboxylic acid is more stable than its conjugate base
C. The conjugate base of the carboxylic acid is more stable than the free carboxylic acid
D. The conjugate acid of the carboxylic acid is more stable than the free carboxylic acid

Explanation

RCOOH + `"NaHCO"_(3) hArr "RCOONa" + H_(2) O + CO_(2)`
or `" RCOOH" + "HCO"_(3)^(-) hArr "RCOO"^(-) + H_(2) O + CO_(2)`
Conjugate base, `"RCOO"^(-)` is more stable than the free carboxylic acid. That is why equilibrium shifts in the forward direction.