Acetic Acid having chemical formula C₂H₄O₂ and structural formula attached below is the second member of carboxylic family in organic compounds. It is commonly used as vinegar<em> i.e</em>. a mixture containing 5 % Acetic acid and 95 % water.
As shown in structure 1 mole of Acetic acid contains 2 moles of Carbon atoms, 4 moles of Hydrogen atoms and 2 moles of Oxygen atoms respectively. Hence, the number of moles of Oxygen atoms contained by acetic acid containing 3.2 moles of Carbon is calculated as,