Carboxylic acids are just one member of a class of acyl derivatives, RCOY, where the acyl group is bonded to an electronegatives substituent -Y that can act as a leaving group in substitution reactions. Numerous acyl derivatives are possible, but we’ll be concerned only with four of the more common ones, in addition to carboxylic acids themselves: acid halides, acid anhydrides, esters, and amides
