why does acetate have two different ways of writing it
Acetate When part of a salt, the formula of the acetate ion is written as CH3CO2−, C2H3O2−, or CH3COO−. Chemists abbreviate acetate as OAc− or, less commonly, AcO−. Thus, HOAc is the abbreviation for acetic acid, NaOAc for sodium acetate, and EtOAc for ethyl acetate.[2] The abbreviation "Ac" (or "AC") is also sometimes encountered in chemical formulas to indicate the acetate ion (CH3CO2−), or the acetyl group (CH3CO). This abbreviation is not to be confused with the symbol of actinium, the first element of the actinide series. For example, the formula for sodium acetate might be abbreviated as "NaAc", rather than "NaC2H3O2". Care should also be taken to avoid confusion with peracetic acid when using the OAc abbreviation; for clarity and to avoid errors when translated, HOAc should be avoided in literature mentioning both compounds.
Fischer–Speier esterification Acid anhydrides are more reactive than esters because the leaving group is a carboxylate anionâ€”a better leaving group than an alkoxide anion because their negative charge is more delocalised. However, such routes generally result in poor atom economy. For example, in reacting ethanol with acetic anhydride, ethyl acetate forms and acetic acid is kicked out as a leaving group, which is considerably less reactive than an acid anhydride and will be left as a byproduct (in a wasteful 1:1 ratio with the ester product) if product is collected immediately. If conditions are acidic enough, the acetic acid can be further reacted via the Fischer esterification pathway, but at a much slower pace. However, in many carefully designed syntheses, reagents can be designed such that acid anhydrides are generated in situ and carboxylic acid byproducts are reactivated, and Fischer esterification routes are not necessarily mutually exclusive with acetic anhydride routes. (Examples of this include the common undergraduate organic lab experiment involving the acetylation of salicylic acid to yield aspirin.)