Page 74 - Encyclopedia of Chemical Compounds 3 Vols

CH 3

C
O OH

OTHER NAMES:
Ethanoic acid;
methanecarboxylic
acid; vinegar acid
FORMULA:
CH 3 COOH
ELEMENTS: Acetic Acid
Carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen
COMPOUND TYPE:
Carboxylic acid
OVERVIEW
(organic) KE
Acetic acid (uh-SEE-tik AS-id) is a clear, colorless liquid
STATE:
with a sharp odor. In its pure form, the compound is also
Liquid
Y
known as glacial acetic acid. Acetic acid is the primary active
MOLECULAR WEIGHT: F ingredient of vinegar, which typically consists of about five
60.05 g/mol A parts of acetic acid mixed with 95 parts of water. The com-
MELTING POINT: C pound’s name comes from the Latin word for vinegar, acetum.

16.6 C (61.9 F) T
Acetic acid, in the form of vinegar, has been known to
BOILING POINT: S humans for centuries. When fruit juices are allowed to stand

117.9 C (244.2 F) for too long, or when they are fermented to make wine,
vinegar forms. The use of vinegar as a condiment is men-
SOLUBILITY:
tioned a number of times in the Bible, and was described by
Soluble in water,
the Greek natural philosopher Theophrastus (c. 372–c. 287 BCE).
alcohol, ether,
The first person to extract acetic acid from vinegar was
acetone, benzene,
and other organic the Muslim alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan Geber (c. 721–815).
solvents The pure compound was not produced, however, for another
ten centuries when the German chemist Georg Ernst Stahl
(1660–1734) extracted acetic acid from vinegar in 1700 by
distillation.

CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS 23