In 1859, it was renamed for Sir Joseph Paxton, architect of the Crystal Palace, who was a major shareholder in the Illinois Central Railroad, which in 1856 was the longest span of railroad in the world (Chicago to Cairo).
Acetic acid, also known as ethanoic acid and methanecarboxylic acid, is a colorless liquid that has a strong and distinct pungent and sour smell. Its chemical formula is C2H4O2: it has two carbon (C) atoms, four hydrogen (H) atoms and two oxygen (O) atoms.t is an organic compound that is classified as a carboxylic acid because a carboxyl (-COOH) group is present in its chemical structure. Acetic acid is also known as the second simplest carboxylic acid.
Acetic acid is a weak monoprotic acid. In aqueous solution, it has a pKa value of 4.76. Its conjugate base is acetate (CH 3 COO â). A 1.0 M solution (about the concentration of domestic vinegar) has a pH of 2.4, indicating that merely 0.4% of the acetic acid molecules are dissociated.he global demand for acetic acid is around 6.5 million tonnes per year (Mt/a), of which approximately 1.5 Mt/a is met by recycling; the remainder is manufactured from petrochemical feedstock. As a chemical reagent, biological sources of acetic acid are of interest, but generally uncompetitive.