Question

Briefly explain the difference between acetic acid and propanoic acid in terms of their physical and chemical properties.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

Acetic acid has a molecular formula of CH3COOH and propanoic acid has a molecular formula of C2H5COOH. Acetic acid has a lower molecular weight, boiling point, and melting point compared to propanoic acid. In terms of chemical properties, acetic acid is a weaker acid compared to propanoic acid, meaning that propanoic acid is more acidic and tends to ionize more readily in solution. Additionally, propanoic acid has an extra carbon atom in its chain, making it slightly more hydrophobic compared to acetic acid.