The Wonders of Vinegar!

What is VINEGAR?

Vinegar is a weak acid which consists of acetic acid(CH₃COOH) and water as its main ingredient. Five percent of vinegar is made up of acetic acid which is also commonly known as ethanoic acid. The presence of acetic acid contributes to the sour taste of vinegar. The vinegar chemical formula includes the following elements: hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. The word vinegar comes from the French 'vin aigre', which means "sour wine." The adding of vinegar into wines is considered an inappropriate combination as it causes the wine to taste like salad dressing. Besides than acetic acid, vinegar contains of tartaric acid, citric acid, and other acids. There are various kinds of vinegar including malt vinegar, wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, fruit vinegar, balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, coconut vinegar, palm vinegar, cane vinegar, and raisin vinegar.

How to MAKE vinegar ?

Vinegar is produced by fermenting ethanol which produces acetic acid. Acetobacter aceti, a bacteria which acts as the main cause for conversion of ethanol to acetic acid. When Acetobacter aceti comes into contact with ethanol, acetic acid is produced. Ethanol can be obtained from wine, beer, fermented fruit juice or cider.

SOMETHING you don't know about vinegar!!! 

You'll be impressed at how convenient it is to use vinegar as a household cleaner which is widely available. Vinegar provides assurance in being able to clean the surface, reduce microbes, and by offering an inexpensive and non-toxic alternative to clean your home. 

WHY is vinegar so USEFUL?!

The reason why vinegar is so useful in cleaning is because of its unique properties that contain an acid naturally found in the vinegar at the rate of about 5%, also known as acetic acid. And now, let's see what is acetic acid about.

What you know about ACETIC ACID? 

Acetic acid, CH₃COOH, also known as ethanoic acid, is an organic acid that responsible for the sour taste and pungent smell of vinegar. It is famous for being the primary acid in vinegar. Acetic acid is a weak acid which simply indicates that it is a  partially dissociated acid in an aqueous solution. Pure, water-free acetic acid which is also known as glacial acetic acid is a colourless liquid that absorbs water from the environment (hygroscopy), and freezes at 16.5 °C  to a colourless crystalline solid. When acetic acid is in pure and concentrated form, they are extremely corrosive.

What are the PROPERTIES of acetic acid?

1. Acetic acid has an acidic character

Acetic acid is dissociated to form hydrogen ion (H⁺)  when dissolves in water. It tends to turn blue litmus paper to red proved that acetic acid is acidic in nature. The presence of acidic character in acetic acid is caused by the release of a proton. However, it is a weak acid because it does not dissociate completely in aqueous solution.

2. Acetic acid reacts with sodium bicarbonate

Acetic acid reacts with sodium bicarbonate to produce carbon dioxide.

On passing CO₂ gas through lime water, the lime water turns milky. The milky appearance of lime water is due to the formation of solid calcium carbonate (CaCO₃).

3. Acetic acid reacts with alcohol which is known as esterification

When ethanoic acid reacts with ethanol in the presence of an acid, ethyl ethanoate is formed.

                                                         

How is acetic acid PRODUCED?

1.  Methanol carbonylation

Over the years, most of the acetic acid can be produced by the Monsanto process, in which carbon monoxide reacts with methanol under the influence of a rhodium complex catalyst at 180EC and pressures of 30–40 atm
       

                               CH₃OH + CO → CH₃COOH

2. Acetaldehyde oxidation

Oxidation of Acetaldehyde produces acetic acid. It is also one of most important manufacturing method. The acetaldehyde was produced via oxidation of butane or light naphtha, or alternatively by hydration of ethylene. When butane or light naphtha is heated with air in the presence of various metal ions, including those of manganese, cobalt and chromium; peroxides form and then decompose to produce acetic acid according to the chemical equation.

                                2 CH₃CHO + O₂→ 2 CH₃COOH

3. Oxidative fermentation

On the other hand, acetic acid bacteria of the genus Acetobacter have made acetic acid, in the form of vinegar. These bacteria can produce vinegar by giving them the sufficient oxygen from different type of alcoholic foodstuffs. For example, the most common used feeds are apple cider, wine, and fermented grain. The overall chemical reaction is:

C₂H₅OH + O₂→ CH₃COOH + H₂O

*Industrial vinegar making process are accelerated by improving the supply of oxygen and also keep the surrounding warm to the bacteria.*

4. Anaerobic fermentation

When we comes to anerobic fermentation, we know that it has to deal with the species of anaerobic bacteria, For example, the genus Clostridium or Acetobacterium can convert from sugars to acetic acid, without using ethanol as an intermediate. The overall chemical reaction which is conducted by these bacteria may be represented as:

C₆H₁₂O₆ → 3 CH₃COOH

Conclusion...

Vinegar is a safe, all-natural cleaning product. It doesn't contain harmful toxic chemicals. It is also a natural organic bi-product of fruits, vegetables and grains. It is therefore edible and biodegradable. It is The Perfect Household Cleaner for your family because it is very safe for the environment, for family members, especially those with asthma, and around young children. It is also a very effective and amazingly versatile household cleaner that is inexpensive to use.