acetic acid

noun, Chemistry

a colorless, pungent, water-miscible liquid, C ₂ H ₄ O ₂ , the essential constituent of vinegar, produced by oxidation of acetaldehyde, bacterial action on ethyl alcohol, the reaction of methyl alcohol with carbon monoxide, and other processes: used chiefly in the manufacture of acetate fibers and in the production of numerous esters that are solvents and flavoring agents.

Compare glacial acetic acid.

Origin

1800-10

Examples from the web for acetic acid

They used acetic acid to dissolve the limestone, which leaves behind a residue of fossils preserved by calcium phosphate minerals.
It's home to a type of acetic acid-producing bacteria called acetobacter, which will convert your wine to vinegar.
Nothing whatever has been said of the acetic acid and the essential oil equivalent of spices used in place of benzoate of soda.
When cellulose reacts with acetic acid to form the material, some acetic acid isn't used up.
He washed them carefully with acetic acid, sealed them with a preservative, and pieced them together into a recognizable skeleton.
The process uses bacteria to break down organic material, such as acetic acid and cellulose.
Its technology uses organisms that convert sugars into acetic acid, which can then be made into ethyl acetate.
Common wine defect caused by excess production of acetic acid, resulting in a vinegary smell.
acetic acid is a clear, colorless, flammable liquid with a pungent odor.

British Dictionary definitions for acetic acid

acetic acid

noun

a colourless pungent liquid, miscible with water, widely used in the manufacture of acetic anhydride, vinyl acetate, plastics, pharmaceuticals, dyes, etc. Formula: CH3COOH Systematic name ethanoic acid See also glacial acetic acid, vinegar

acetic acid in Medicine

acetic acid a·ce·tic acid (ə-sē'tĭk)
n.
A clear, colorless organic acid with a distinctive pungent odor, the chief acid of vinegar, also used as a solvent. Also called ethanoic acid.

acetic acid in Science

acetic acid
A clear, colorless organic acid having a distinctive pungent odor. It is used as a solvent and in the manufacture of rubber, plastics, acetate fibers, pharmaceuticals, and photographic chemicals. Acetic acid is the chief acid of vinegar. Chemical formula: C₂H₄O₂.