Organic acids are substances that are acidic in nature and derived from organic sources. Compared to inorganic acids, they are weak acids. Their organic origin means they must include a carbon atom in their structure. Organic acids are proton donors. They possess at least one H atom that can be released as a proton H+. The structure of an organic acid is primarily composed of Carbon-Hydrogen (C-H) bonds.

A substance can only be classified as an organic acid if:

• It is primarily composed of C-H bonds
• It has a hydrogen atom that can be released as a positively charged hydrogen ion (H+)