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acetate anion

acetate ester

An acetate (IUPAC name: ethanoate) is either a salt or an ester of acetic acid. Its formula is written both as CH₃CO₂^- and C₂H₃O₂^-. Chemists abbreviate acetate as OAc⁻ and AcO⁻. Thus HOAc is the abbreviation for acetic acid, NaOAc for sodium acetate, and EtOAc for ethyl acetate.^[1] Acetate is a common anion in biology.

Salts

The acetate anion, [CH₃COO]⁻, is a carboxylate. It is the conjugate base of acetic acid. The acetate ion is formed by the deprotonation of acetic acid:

CH₃COOH ⇌ CH₃COO⁻ + H⁺

Esters

An acetate ester is an ester of acetic acid, with the general formula CH₃CO₂R, where R is an organyl group. "Acetate" is also jargon for cellulose acetate, especially fibres or other derived products such as the acetate disc used in audio record production. Cellulose acetate can be found in many household products.

References

1. ^ Zumdahl, S. S. “Chemistry” Heath, 1986: Lexington, MA. ISBN: 0-669--04529-2.

Structures

space-filling model of the acetate anion

ball-and-stick model of the acetate anion

resonance hybrid of the acetate anion

canonical forms of the acetate anion (or OXYANION)

See also

• Acetylation
• Cellulose acetate
• Copper(II) acetate
• Sodium acetate