Ethanoic Acid (CH3COOH) which is also known as Acetic Acid is the most generally available acid. Its common name is Vinegar. Vinegar is a popular home product made from a solution of 5-8 % Ethanoic Acid in water. Ethanoic Acid is commonly used in kitchens as a preservative for foods. Ethanoic acid is a weak acid and consuming it in mild concentration does not affect our health.
In this article, we will learn about What is Ethanoic Acid? Structure of Ethanoic Acid, Properties of Ethanoic Acid, Uses of Ethanoic Acid and others in detail.
Table of Content
Ethanoic acid (also known as acetic acid) is a two-carbon acid that follows methanoic acid as the second member of the carboxylic acid family.
Ethanoic Acid (Acetic Acid) is a weak acid. It is a colourless liquid with the chemical formula CH 3 COOH it is denser than water. A 5-8% solution of Ethanoic Acid is called the Acetic Acid and it is used as food preservative and as pickling agent. As with all the acid it has a sour taste and it has a ph of less than 7.
Ethanoic acid is a member of carboxylic acid family. It is the second member of the carboxylic acid. The chemical formula for the Ethanoic Acid is, CH3COOH
Ethanoic Acid Structural Formula is CH 3 COOH, which may alternatively be written as CH 3 CO 2 H or C 2 H 4 O 2 in its condensed form. It has a molecular mass of 60.05 g/mol (or molar mass). The structure of Ethanoic acid is added below:
Ethanoic acid is second member of Carboxyl Acid family after Methanoic Acid. In Ethanoic Acid the carboxylic acid functional group (–COOH) is linked to a methyl (–CH 3 ) group.
Carbonylation of methanol is the most frequent technique for obtaining Ethanoic acid. Methanol is reacted with carbon monoxide in the presence of metal carbonyl as a catalyst to produce acetic acid. The reaction representing the same is added below,
C2H5OH (Ethanol) + 2[O] → CH3COOH (Ethanoic Acid) + H2O
Apart from this fermentation of carbohydrates also results in the formation of ethanoic acid.
Basic physical properties of Ethanoic Acid are added in the table below,
| Chemical formula | CH 3 COOH |
|---|---|
| Molecular Weight/ Molar Mass | 60.05 g/mol |
| Density | 1.05 g/cm 3 |
| Melting Point | 16°C |
| Boiling Point | 118°C |
Some other physcial properties of Ethanoic Acid are:
Ethanoic Acid is a very common chemical compound and it reacts with variety of other compounds to form various compound. The reactions of ethanoic acid are listed below:
Let’s discuss these reactions in detail
Some important chemical reaction of Ethanoic Acid are:
When a carboxylic acid interacts with alcohol, it produces esters, which are a new family of chemical molecules. Esterification is the chemical process that results in the production of esters. When Ethanoic Acid (a carboxylic acid) combines with Ethanol (ethyl alcohol), it forms ethyl ethanoate (an ester). The reaction of Ethanoic Acid and Ethanol is added below,
CH3COOH + CH3CH2OH → CH3COOCH2CH3
This reaction produces a novel class of chemical compounds with a distinct fruity odour that makes them easily identifiable.
Esters are employed in the food business as synthetic flavouring agents and in the perfume industry for their pleasant scents. Apart from that, one of the most common uses of esters is in the manufacture of soaps. When esters react with any base (especially alkalis), a carboxylic acid salt is formed, which is the basic molecular structure of soap. The saponification reaction is the name for this process. This reaction is best carried out with higher molecular weight esters. The following is a broad explanation of the saponification reaction:
RCOOR’ + NaOH → RCOO–Na + + R’OH
The acid ethanoic acid is a weak one. It interacts with a base to create one molecule of salt and one molecule of water, much like any other acid. Ethanoic acid reacts with Sodium Hydroxide (a base) to create sodium ethanoate and water, as shown below:
CH3COOH + NaOH → CH3COONa + H2O
Sodium ethanoate has a variety of industrial applications, including the neutralisation of sulfuric acid (used to clean fibres) in the textile industry, as a preservative and mild seasoning and flavouring agent in the food industry, and as a buffering agent with Ethanoic acid (commonly known as the acetate buffer) to maintain the pH of a medium.
When ethanol reacts with carbonates or hydrogen derivatives of carbonates (hydrogen carbonates, also known as bicarbonates), salt is formed as a by-product, along with carbon dioxide and water.
2CH3COOH + Na2CO3 → 2CH3COONa + CO2 + H2O
Animal fats or vegetable oils (olive oils, castor oil, or palm oil) are heated with sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide to make the soap. To make soap, heat fat or vegetable oils with a strong sodium hydroxide solution until soap and glycerol are formed. Saponification reaction is the name given to the process of making soap. Glycerol is a valuable by-product of this process since it is used to make a variety of chemical compounds, explosives, and pharmaceuticals.
RCOOR’ (ester) + NaOH (base) → RCOO–Na + (Soap) + R’OH (alcohol)
Ethanoic Acid found its importance in variety of things some of the common uses of Ethanoic Acid are,
Also, Check
Sodium stearate is the sodium salt of stearic acid, a long-chain saturated fatty acid (C 17 H 35 COOH). The lengthy alkyl chain C 17 H 35 and the ionic carboxylate group COO–Na+ are found in sodium stearate.
Ethanol combines with ethanoic acid to form a fruity-smelling molecule known as ethyl ethanoate, which is an ester. Esterification is the name given to this process.
Glacial Acetic Acid is the other name of Ethanoic Acid and is called Glacial Acetic Acid, because it has a melting point of 16℃ and thus it freezes in colder temperature.
Oily or greasy compounds are not wettable by water. However, the soap anion’s hydrocarbon residue R (RCOO–) can do so.
When a filthy cloth is dipped into a soap solution owing to the deposition of dust, oil, or greasy substances, the hydrocarbon non-polar portion R (hydrophobic) of the RCOO– ion dissolves as polar impurities of oily or greasy dirt and encapsulates it in the micelle. The micelles that transport the oily or greasy particles are washed away when the fabric is cleaned with water.
Molar mass of Ethanoic Acid is 60 g/mol.
Boiling point of Ethanoic Acid is 118℃
