Acetic acid is an aliphatic organic acid. It is a hygroscopic, corrosive liquid with a vinegar-like odor. It can be synthesized by oxidizing acetaldehyde in the presence of manganese or cobalt salts. It is utilized for synthesizing acetic anhydride, cellulose acetate and acetic esters. Its impact on the degradation of historic paper has been analyzed.
Application
Acetic acid (AcOH) can be used as:
• A reaction solvent in many organic reactions such as bromination, hydrolysis, solvolysis, reductions, and hydrogenations.
• A reagent in the protonolysis of organometallic compounds.
• An acetylating agent for the acetylation of electron-rich aromatic compounds.
• A catalyst to synthesize di(indolyl)methanes by the condensation reaction of indole and aromatic aldehydes.
• A solvent system to prepare 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one derivative via Biginelli reaction of aromatic aldehydes, 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, and urea in the presence of a • boric acid catalyst.
Acetic acid can also be used in the following:
• Manganese(III) acetate/AcOH catalytic system is used in the conversion of alkenes to lactones.
• Iron salts/AcOH is used to oxidize 2-methylnaphthalene to 2-methyl-1-naphthol in the presence of H2O2.
Features and Benefits
• Good stability towards many reagents
• Excellent solubility of organic compounds in this reagent
