Question

How can ethanol and ethanoic acid be differentiated on the basis of their physical and chemical properties?

Answer 1

Ethanol and Ethanoic acid be differentiated on the basis of their following properties:
→ Ethanol is a liquid at room temperature with a pleasant smell. Ethanoic acid has a melting point of 17°C. Since it is below the room temperature so, it freezes during winter. Moreover, ethanoic acid has a smell like vinegar.
→ Ethanol does not react with metal carbonates while, ethanoic acid reacts with metal carbonates to form salt, water and carbon dioxide. For example,
2CH₃COOH + Na₂CO₃ → 2CH₃COONa + CO₂ + H₂O
→ Ethanol does not react with NaOH while ethanoic acid reacts with NaOH to form sodium ethanoate and water. For example,
CH₃COOH + NaOH → CH₃COONa + H₂O→ Ethanol is oxidized to give ethanoic acid in presence of acidified KMnO₄ while, no reaction takes place with ethanoic acid in presence of acidified KMnO4.