Which functional group is responsible for the acidic nature of acetic acid ?
Carboxyl group (-COOH)
Acetic acid (CH3COOH) contains the carboxyl functional group (-COOH), formed by a carbonyl group and a hydroxyl group attached to the same carbon.
The carboxyl group makes the O-H bond highly polar because the electron-withdrawing carbonyl oxygen pulls electron density away, and the resulting carboxylate ion (\(CH_3COO^-\)) is stabilised by resonance, favouring release of the H+ ion.
Ketone and aldehyde groups lack the resonance-stabilised conjugate base, and a simple hydroxyl group alone is far less acidic since it lacks the adjacent carbonyl.
Therefore, the carboxyl group (-COOH) is responsible for the acidic nature of acetic acid.
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