Acetic acid structure

Acetic acid, also known as ethanoic acid and methane carboxylic acid, is a colorless liquid with a strong and distinct pungent and sour odor. Its chemical formula is C2H4O2: it contains two carbon atoms (C), four hydrogen atoms (H) and two oxygen atoms (O).

The chemical structure of acetic acid shows that the first carbon on the left has single bonds with three hydrogen atoms. The second carbon, on the other hand, has a double bond to the oxygen atom and is singly bonded to the first carbon and the —OH group.