2-Hydroxyisobutyric acid

2-Hydroxyisobutyric acid is the organic compound with the formula. A white solid, it is classified as an hydroxycarboxylic acid. It has been considered as a naturally occurring precursor to polyesters. It is closely related to lactic acid.

Occurrences

The enzyme 2-hydroxyisobutyryl coenzyme A mutase isomerizes 3-hydroxybutyryl coenzyme A into 2-hydroxyisobutyryl coenzyme A. Hydrolysis of the latter gives 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid.
The amides formed from this carboxylic acid and the ε-amino group of lysine residues are a kind of post translational modification.
Ethyl methacrylate was first obtained by treating the ethyl ester of 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid with phosphorus pentachloride in an apparent dehydration reaction.