Question

The empirical formula of acetic acid is:
A.$C{H_2}O$
B.${C_2}{H_4}O$
C.${C_2}{H_4}{O_3}$
D.$C{H_4}O$

Answer 1

Hint: At first think about the structure of acetic acid. Acetic acid is one of the most important chemical compounds in carboxylic acids. Acetic acid is also called ethanoic acid according to its IUPAC nomenclature.

Complete step by step answer:
Acetic acid is a colorless liquid. We all know that acetic acid chemical formula is $C{H_3}COOH$. The empirical formula of a chemical compound is defined as the simplest positive integer ratio of atoms present in a compound. So in acetic acid, the total number of carbon atoms are two, hydrogen atoms are four, and two oxygen atoms. So the empirical formula of acetic acid is ${(C{H_2}O)_2}$.
So the answer is A.
Additional Information:- Acetic acid has a distinctive sour taste and pungent smell. It is a weak acid because it only partially dissociates in solution. When acetic acid is diluted, it is sometimes called glacial acetic acid. Vinegar is no less than $4\% $ acetic acid by volume, making acetic acid the main component of vinegar apart from the water. It is the second simplest carboxylic acid that is after formic acid. It consists of a methyl group attached to a carboxylic acid group. It is an important chemical reagent. In households, diluted acetic acid is often used as a descaling agent.

Note:
Don’t get confused with the terms general formula and the empirical formula, as the general formula is a type of empirical formula that represents the composition of any member of an entire class of compounds. An empirical formula is used to represent a compound in the simplest form.