The key difference between acetic acid and ethanoic acid is that acetic acid is the common name, whereas ethanoic acid is the chemical name given by IUPAC for the same compound.
Acetic acid and ethanoic acid are two names for the same compound. It is an organic compound having the chemical formula CH3COOH. Also, it is a carboxylic acid formed from the fermentation and oxidation of natural carbohydrates.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Acetic Acid
3. What is Ethanoic Acid
4. Side by Side Comparison – Acetic Acid vs Ethanoic Acid in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Acetic Acid?
Acetic acid is an organic compound having the chemical formula CH3COOH. It is the common name for this compound. Also, it is a carboxylic acid, and we can produce it from the fermentation and oxidation of carbohydrates. We call the product of this fermentation as “vinegar”. However, vinegar has 4% of acetic acid along with some other components.
Figure 01: A Bottle of Acetic Acid
Moreover, acetic acid is a weak acid because it partially dissociates in aqueous solutions. However, concentrated acid is corrosive, i.e. it can attack our skin. Looking at their properties, it has a pungent odour and sour taste. Also, it appears as a colourless liquid and is miscible with water. Besides, the molar mass of this compound is 60.052 g/mol. Further, the melting point of this compound may vary from 16 to 17 °C while boiling point ranges from 118 to 119 °C.
When considering the uses of this acid, it is important as a vinyl acetate monomer in the production of polyvinyl acetate material. Other than that, it is important in the production of esters, acetic anhydride, etc. Moreover, it is useful as a solvent for recrystallization purposes.
What is Ethanoic Acid?
The term ethanoic acid is the systematic IUPAC name for the compound having the chemical formula CH3COOH. The name comes from its carboxylic acid functional group.
Figure 02: Chemical Structure of Acetic Acid
Here, the functional group is attached to a methyl group, but it has two carbon atoms. Therefore, the compound gets the prefix “eth-“. Since it’s a carboxylic acid, it gets the suffix “-oic acid”. Thus, with the combination of these terms, we get the name “ethanoic acid”.
What is the Difference Between Acetic Acid and Ethanoic Acid?
Acetic acid or ethanoic acid is an organic compound having the chemical formula CH3COOH, and acetic acid is the common name for this compound. So, the key difference between acetic acid and ethanoic acid is that acetic acid is the common name, whereas ethanoic acid is the chemical name given by IUPAC for the same compound.
Summary – Acetic Acid vs Ethanoic Acid
Acetic acid is basically an organic compound having the chemical formula CH3COOH. The key difference between acetic acid and ethanoic acid is that acetic acid is the common name, whereas ethanoic acid is the chemical name given by IUPAC for the same compound.
Reference:
1. Brown, William H. “Acetic Acid.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 27 Nov. 2018, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Acetic acid” By W. Oelen – (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Essigsäure – Acetic acid” By NEUROtiker – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia