In 1859, it was renamed for Sir Joseph Paxton, architect of the Crystal Palace, who was a major shareholder in the Illinois Central Railroad, which in 1856 was the longest span of railroad in the world (Chicago to Cairo).
Acetic acid, also known as ethanoic acid and methanecarboxylic acid, is a colorless liquid that has a strong and distinct pungent and sour smell. Its chemical formula is C2H4O2: it has two carbon (C) atoms, four hydrogen (H) atoms and two oxygen (O) atoms.t is an organic compound that is classified as a carboxylic acid because a carboxyl (-COOH) group is present in its chemical structure. Acetic acid is also known as the second simplest carboxylic acid.
Answer Wiki. acet- refers to the derivatives of acetic acid (itself the primary component of vinegar, or acetum in Latin). You'll notice that all those compounds have CH3CO- somewhere. Wikipedia has a link to the actual 1833 work by Antoine Bussy where the name was first used: Annales de chimie et de physique. ser.2:t.53 (1833).