Difference Between Oxalic Acid and Acetic Acid

Thekey differencebetween oxalic acid and acetic acid is that草酸有两个carbonylcarbon centers whereas acetic acid has one carbonyl carbon center。

Oxalic acid and acetic acid are organic compounds having carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms in their molecules. These two acidic compounds have some similarities due to the presence of carbonyl carbon centers.

CONTENTS

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What is Oxalic Acid
3.What is Acetic Acid
4.Side by Side Comparison – Oxalic Acid vs Acetic Acid in Tabular Form
5.概括

What is Oxalic Acid?

Oxalic acid is an organic compound having the chemical formula H2C2O4. This compound occurs as a colourless solid which easily dissolves in water. Oxalic acid is a dicarboxylic acid because it is a combination of twocarboxylic acidgroups; in fact, it is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. Furthermore, it has a high acid strength and is a strongreducing agent。该酸的共轭碱是草酸根离子。通常，草酸以二水合物形式出现。此外，它自然发生在某些食物中。无水形式的摩尔质量为90 g/mol。

We can prepare oxalic acid from the oxidation of carbohydrates or glucose using nitric acid or air in the presence of vanadium pentoxide. There are two polymorphs of oxalic acid where one polymorphic structure has a chain-like structure due to the presence of hydrogen bonds while the other polymorphic structure is in the sheet-like structure.

When considering the uses of oxalic acid, it is useful in cleaning and bleaching purposes, as a reagent in extractive metallurgy, useful in aluminum anodizing process, etc.

What is Acetic Acid?

乙酸是具有化学式CH的有机化合物₃库。它是第二个最简单的羧酸。这种酸是一种无色液体，具有刺激性的醋状气味。此外，乙酸也具有独特的酸味。该化合物在羧酸上有一个甲基。它是弱酸，因为它会在水溶液中部分解离。乙酸的摩尔质量为60.05 g/mol。该酸的共轭碱是乙酸离子。此外，乙酸的全身IUPAC名称是乙酸。

In its solid form, acetic acid form chains by interconnecting the molecules through hydrogen bonds. In its vapour phase, there are dimers of acetic acid. Furthermore, in its liquid state, it is a hydrophilic protic solvent. Moreover, at physiological pH conditions, this compound exists in a fully ionized form as acetate. We can produce acetic acid in both synthetic and bacterial fermentation routes. In addition to these, in the synthetic route, acetic acid is produced via methanol carbonylation.

We can produce acetic acid industrially in synthetic routes or via biological routes. For example, we can produce acetic acid through the carbonylation of methanol, and we can produce this acid via fermentation of seeds such as apple cider, using potato mash, rice, etc.

草酸和乙酸有什么区别？

Oxalic acid and acetic acid are two types of carboxylic acid compounds. The key difference between oxalic acid and acetic acid is that oxalic acid has two carbonyl carbon centers whereas acetic acid has one carbonyl carbon center. Therefore, oxalic acid is a dicarboxylic acid whereas acetic acid is a monocarboxylic acid.

Moreover, oxalic acid is produced via the oxidation of carbohydrates or glucose using nitric acid or air in the presence of vanadium pentoxide while acetic acid is produced using both synthetic and bacterial fermentation routes.

Below infographic presents more details of the difference between oxalic acid and acetic acid.

概括– Oxalic Acid vs Acetic Acid

Oxalic acid and acetic acid are two types of carboxylic acid compounds. The key difference between oxalic acid and acetic acid is that oxalic acid has two carbonyl carbon centers whereas acetic acid has one carbonyl carbon center.

Reference:

1. “Acetic Acid.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine,Available here。

Image Courtesy:

1. Neurotiker的“Oxaläure2” - 通过自己的作品（公共领域）通过Commons Wikimedia
2.通过Commons Wikimedia