Acetic Acid
Definition
Acetic acid is an organic compound with the formula CH3COOH. It's what gives vinegar its sour taste and pungent smell.
Analogy
Imagine acetic acid as your grumpy neighbor who always complains (releases hydrogen ions). When he moves into your neighborhood (water), he makes everything around him sour and unpleasant just like vinegar!
Related terms
Organic Compound: A compound that contains carbon atoms bonded together and can exist in living organisms.
Carboxylic Acid Group (-COOH): A functional group present in organic acids including acetic acid which gives them their acidic properties.
Hydrogen Ion (H+): An atom of hydrogen that has lost its electron and hence carries a positive charge; released by acids such as acetic acid.
"Acetic Acid" appears in:
Study guides (4)
Practice Questions (8)
What is the pH of a 0.55 M solution of acetic acid? (Kₐ = 1.5x10-5)
25.0 mL of 1.0 M acetic acid is mixed with 25.0 mL of 1.0 M sodium hydroxide. What is the resulting pH?
A 35.0 mL sample of 0.150 M acetic acid is combined with 34.5 mL of 0.150 M NaOH. What is the pH of the solution? (Kₐ = 1.8x10^-5)
A solution of acetic acid has a pH of 6.75. The ratio of acid to conjugate base is _______________. (pKa = 4.75)
NaOH is added to a 500mL of 2M acetic acid. What volume of 2M NaOH must be added so that the pH of the solution is 4.8? (pKa = 4.8)
A solution contains 500 mL of 1 M acetic acid. How many moles of sodium acetate must be added to achieve a pH of 5.75? (pKa = 4.75)
You need to prepare an acetate buffer of pH 5.83 from a 0.642 M acetic acid solution and a 2.31 M KOH solution. If you have 975 mL of the acetic acid solution, how many milliliters of the KOH solution do you need to add to make a buffer of pH 5.830? (pKa = 4.752)
What is the molar mass of acetic acid (CH₃COOH)?
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