Carboxylic acids possess a polar carboxyl group (-COOH) capable of forming strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Unlike alcohols, carboxylic acids can form dimers (pairs of molecules held together by two hydrogen bonds) in the vapor phase or in aprotic solvents. This extensive association effectively doubles the size of the molecule and significantly increases the energy required to separate them, resulting in boiling points that are higher than those of aldehydes, ketones, and even alcohols of comparable molecular mass. Intramolecular bonding (Option A) would generally lower the boiling point by reducing intermolecular associations.