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acetic acid

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acetic acid

–noun Chemistry.
a colorless, pungent, water-miscible liquid, C2H4O2, 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.


Origin:
1800–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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acetic acid  
n.  A clear, colorless organic acid, CH3COOH, with a distinctive pungent odor, used as a solvent and in the manufacture of rubber, plastics, acetate fibers, pharmaceuticals, and photographic chemicals. It is the chief acid of vinegar.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: acetic acid
Function: noun
: a colorless pungent liquid acid C2H4O2 that is the chief acid of vinegar and that is usedespecially in synthesis (as of plastics) and occas. in medicine as an astringent and styptic
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

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.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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