page_title: Acetate
section_title: Salts
hierarchical_section_title: Acetate / Salts
context_page_description: An acetate is a salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base. "Acetate" also describes the conjugate base or ion typically found in aqueous solution and written with the chemical formula C
  ₂H
  ₃O⁻
  ₂. The neutral molecules formed by the combination of the acetate ion and a positive ion are also commonly called "acetates". The simplest of these is hydrogen acetate with corresponding salts, esters, and the polyatomic anion CH
  ₃CO⁻
  ₂, or CH
  ₃COO⁻
  .
  Most of the approximately 5 billion kilograms of acetic acid produced annually in industry are used in the production of acetates, which usually take the form of polymers. In nature, acetate is the most common building block for biosynthesis. For example, the fatty acids are produced by connecting the two carbon atoms from acetate to a growing fatty acid.
context_section_description: The acetate anion, [CH₃COO]⁻,(or [C₂H₃O₂]⁻) is one of the carboxylate family. It is the conjugate base of acetic acid.  Above a pH of 5.5, acetic acid converts to acetate:
  CH₃COOH ⇌ CH₃COO⁻ + H⁺
  Many acetate salts are ionic, indicated by their tendency to dissolve well in water.  A commonly encountered acetate in the home is sodium acetate, a white solid that can be prepared by combining vinegar and sodium bicarbonate ("bicarbonate of soda"):
  CH₃COOH  +  NaHCO₃  →   CH₃COO⁻Na⁺  +  H₂O  +  CO₂
  Transition metals can be complexed by acetate. Examples of acetate complexes include chromium(II) acetate and basic zinc acetate.
  Commercially important acetate salts are aluminium acetate, used in dyeing, ammonium acetate, a precursor to acetamide, and potassium acetate, used as a diuretic.  All three salts are colourless and highly soluble in water.
caption: acetate anion
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