Meaning & use
acetic acid
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Meaning
noununcountablechemistry
A colorless liquid organic acid with a sharp sour smell, best known as the acid that gives vinegar its taste.
Grammar: Names a substance, so use some/much rather than a/an or a plural in everyday use.
Patterns
- vinegar contains acetic acid
- dilute acetic acid
- glacial acetic acid
- acetic acid is used in something
Vinegar contains roughly five percent acetic acid in water.
The sharp smell near the bench was acetic acid from the demonstration.
Concentrated acetic acid must be handled with gloves and good ventilation.
Common combinations
- glacial acetic acid
- Glacial acetic acid is the nearly pure, water-free form of the compound.
- dilute acetic acid
- The technician prepared dilute acetic acid for the cleaning test.
- acetic acid solution
- An acetic acid solution can remove hard-water film from glassware.
- vinegar contains acetic acid
- The label explains that vinegar contains acetic acid produced by fermentation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ethanoic acid
- The systematic chemical name for the same compound; use it in formal chemistry rather than kitchen contexts.
Word family
- acetate noun
- A salt or ester of acetic acid; also refers to some plastics and fibers made from these compounds.
- acetic adjective
- Relating to acetic acid or vinegar, as in acetic acid itself.
Commonly confused: acetic acid or acidic? acetic acid or acetate?
acetic acid vs acidic
Acidic is an adjective meaning sour or low-pH; acetic acid is the specific compound in vinegar.
acetic acid vs acetate
An acetate is a related salt or ester, not the free acid that flavors vinegar.
Practice
Vinegar tastes sour mainly because it contains ___.
Choose one answer.
Vinegar’s sour taste comes from acetic acid. Ascorbic acid is vitamin C, acetate is a related salt or ester rather than the free acid, and cellulose is unrelated plant fiber.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “acetic acid”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.