acetic acid | Definition, Formula, Uses | 合法醫療器材資訊網

acetic acid (CH3COOH), the most important of the carboxylic acids[1]. A dilute (approximately 5 percent by volume) solution[2] of acetic acid produced by fermentation[3] and oxidation of natural carbohydrates[4] is called vinegar[5]; a salt[6], ester[7], or acylal of acetic acid is called acetate[8]. Industrially, acetic acid is used in the preparation of metal[9] acetates, used in some printing processes; vinyl acetate[10], employed in the production of plastics[11]; cellulose acetate[12], used in making photographic films and textiles; and volatile[13] organic esters (such as ethyl and butyl acetates), widely used as solvents for resins[14], paints, and lacquers. Biologically, acetic acid is an important metabolic intermediate, and it occurs naturally in body fluids and in plant juices.

Acetic acid has been prepared on an industrial scale by air oxidation of acetaldehyde[15], by oxidation of ethanol (ethyl alcohol[16]), and b...