Question

Vinegar, used as a food preservative and additive, contains 5 % v/v acetic acid. Glacial acetic acid is a liquid, i.e., 100% acetic acid. If you want to make vinegar from glacial acetic acid, how would you proceed?

Answer 1

Vinegar consists of 5% v/v acetic acid, meaning that 5 mL of acetic acid is found in 100 mL of the solution.

As glacial acetic acid is pure (100%) acetic acid, vinegar can be prepared by taking 5 mL of glacial acetic acid and adding enough water to make the total volume 100 mL.

Similarly, for preparing larger amounts, glacial acetic acid and water are mixed in the ratio of 5 parts acetic acid to 95 parts water, ensuring that acetic acid makes up 5% v/v of the final mixture.