Nomenclature and Common Formula
When part of a salt, the formula of the acetate anion is written as CH3CO2−, C2H3O2−, or CH3COO−. Chemists abbreviate acetate as OAc− or AcO−. Thus, HOAc is the abbreviation for acetic acid, NaOAc for sodium acetate, and EtOAc for ethyl acetate. The abbreviation "Ac" (or "AC") is also sometimes encountered in chemical formulas to indicate the acetate ion. This abbreviation is not to be confused with the symbol of actinium, the first element of the actinides series. For example, the formula for sodium acetate might be abbreviated as "NaAc", rather than "NaC2H3O2". Care should also be taken to avoid confusion with peracetic acid when using the OAc abbreviation; for clarity and to avoid errors when translated, HOAc should be avoided in literature mentioning both compounds.
The systematic name for acetate is ethanoate, but the IUPAC preferred name remains the common name, acetate.
Read more about this topic: Acetate
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