Question

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

Answer 1

Ethanol, and ethanoic acid both are different compounds formed from the ethane molecule. They differ on the basis of their physical, and chemical properties like smell, melting point, boiling point, and in terms of chemical properties, it differs in case of reactions with the different compounds.

Complete step by step answer:
Now, first we will discuss the difference between ethanol, and ethanoic acid on the basis of physical properties as mentioned in the table.

Ethanol	Ethanoic acid
Ethanol is also known as ethyl alcohol, so it shows the properties of alcohol.It has a melting point of 156 K, and a boiling point of 351 K, and it exists in a liquid at room temperature.It has a pleasant smell due to the presence of alcohol.	Ethanoic acid is also known as acetic acid; it shows the properties of an acid.It has a melting point of 290 K, and a boiling point of 390 K, and freezes during winter, as it is below room temperature.It has a vinegar-like smell due to the presence of an acid.

- Now, let us discuss the difference in their chemical properties as mentioned below in the table.

Ethanol	Ethanoic acid
Ethanol does not show a reaction with metal carbonates. $\text{Ethanol +Metal Carbonate}\to \text{No Reaction}$	Ethanoic acid reacts with metal carbonates, and forms salt. $2C{{H}_{3}}COOH+N{{a}_{2}}C{{O}_{3}}\to 2C{{H}_{3}}COONa+{{H}_{2}}O+C{{O}_{2}}$
It does not react with NaOH ${{C}_{2}}{{H}_{5}}OH+NaOH\to \text{No Reaction}$	It reacts with NaOH, and forms sodium ethanoate. $C{{H}_{3}}COOH+NaOH\to C{{H}_{3}}COONa+{{H}_{2}}O$
It oxidizes in presence of acidified potassium permanganate. ${{C}_{2}}{{H}_{5}}OH+\text{acidified KMn}{{\text{O}}_{4}}\to {{C}_{2}}{{H}_{5}}COOH$	It shows no reaction with acidified potassium permanganate. $C{{H}_{3}}COOH+\text{acidified KMn}{{\text{O}}_{4}}\to \text{No reaction}$

Note: Due to the change in the functional group(-OH in ethanol and –COOH in ethanoic acid), they have different properties which lead to its different usage. Ethanoic acid is one of the main components of Vinegar. It is widely used in making paints, dyes and pigments whereas ethanol finds its use as an additive to automotive engines, alcoholic beverages and nowadays in disinfectants and sanitizers.