Acetic acid
Acetic acid is used in foods as a flavor enhancer and flavoring agent; an acidifier, color diluent, curing, and pickling agent, pH control agent, solvent, and preservative.
CAS number: 64-19-7
E number: E260
Other names: ethanoic acid, glacial acetic acid
- Description
- Product Specification
Description
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Acetic acid, also known as Ethylic acid with CH3COOH formula, is safe to handle, cost efficient, and easy to recover, by its extensive use in different fields. It is an important bulk chemical that is nowadays produced through methanol carbonylation (CH3OH+CO→CH3COOH).
Properties
Chemical formula
|
C2H4O2 or CH3COOH |
Molar mass
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60.052 g·mol−1 |
Appearance
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Colourless liquid |
Odor
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Punget vinegar-like |
Density
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1.049 g cm−3 (liquid); 1.27 g cm−3 (solid) |
Melting point
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16 to 17 °C; 61 to 62 °F; 289 to 290 K |
boiling point
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118 to 119 °C; 244 to 246 °F; 391 to 392 K |
Acidity (pKa)
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4.756 |
Chemical structure | ![]() |
Also, glacial acetic acid, that is a pure acetic acid and entirely soluble in water, is a colorless, corrosive liquid with boiling point 117.9 °C (244.2 °F) and melting point 16.6 °C (61.9 °F).
Crystallography
Acetic acid crystals are orthorhombic, space group Pna21, with a= 13.324±0.02, b = 4.08±0-01, c= 5.774±0.01 Å from single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structure is similar to that of formic acid with molecules linked into infinite chains by hydrogen bonds. The bond distances are C-C = 1.54 Å, C=O = 1.24 Å, C-O = 1.29 Å, and O-H • • • O = 2.61 Å, each ±0.02 Å, by least-squares refinement. The four heavy atoms of each molecule stand in a plane. The coherence between chains is due to van der Waals forces.
Applications
Acetic acid is one of the most widely used materials in today’s industrial society, which we will discuss the most important applications of this material in below.
Acetic acid is used in lots of industrial processes for the production of substrates and it’s often a chemical reagent for the production of chemical compounds. Acetic acid has largest use in the production of materials such as vinyl acetate monomer. also Glacial acetic acid used in recrystallization as solvent because it can purify organic compounds.
The imperative use of acetic acid is the production of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM). In 2008, this application was estimated to consume a third of the world’s production of acetic acid.
Solvents of inks and paints are made by acetic acid and related alcohol that is a kind of the main esters of acetic acid.
Almost nearly 30% of the global production is used in production of acetic anhydride; so it can be called that one of the significant applications.
Safety information
Hazards of solutions of acetic acid belong to the concentration. The following table lists the EU Classification of acetic acid solutions:
Concentration by weight |
Molarity | Classification |
10–25% | 1.67–4.16 mol/L | Irritant (Xi) |
25–90% | 4.16–14.99 mol/L | Corrosive (C) |
>90% | >14.99 mol/L | Corrosive (C) Flammable (F) |
NOTEs:
- Flammable liquid and vapor [Warning Flammable liquids]
- Causes intense skin burns and eye injury [Danger Skin corrosion/irritation]
- When spilled in water all forms will mix rapidly and produce an irritating vapor.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Acetic acid is used in foods as a flavor enhancer and flavoring agent; an acidifier, color diluent, curing, and pickling agent, pH control agent, solvent, and preservative.
Product Name: Acetic acid
CAS Number: 64-19-7
E Number: E260
Product Specification