The polarity of ethyl acetate and acetic acid is related to its molecular structure and charge distribution. This article discusses the similarities and differences in polarity between ethyl acetate and acetic acid in detail.

Ethyl acetate, its molecular formula is $C_ {4} H_ {8} O_ {2} $, and its molecular structure contains an ester group ($-COO- $). Among the ester groups, the carbonyl group ($C = O $) has a certain polarity, and the oxygen atom has strong electronegativity, causing the electron cloud to bias towards itself, causing the carbonyl carbon to be partially positively charged and the oxygen to be partially negatively charged. However, the ethyl group ($- C_ {2} H_ {5} $) as the power supply can partially cancel the polarity effect of the carbonyl group. And its molecular structure is relatively symmetrical, and the overall charge distribution is slightly uniform.

In contrast, acetic acid, molecular formula $C_ {2} H_ {4} O_ {2} $, contains carboxyl ($-COOH $). In the carboxyl group, the carbonyl group is connected to the hydroxyl group, and the hydroxyl oxygen atom has strong electronegativity, which not only forms a strong polar covalent bond between itself and the hydrogen atom, but also enhances the polarity of the carbonyl group. At the same time, the carboxyl group can ionize hydrogen ions to form carboxylate negative ions, which makes the charge distribution more uneven and the polarity is significantly enhanced.

In summary, from the perspective of molecular structure and charge distribution, the charge distribution of acetic acid is more uneven than that of ethyl acetate due to the characteristics of carboxyl groups, so its polarity is stronger than that of ethyl That is, the polarity of ethyl acetate is weaker than that of acetic acid, which is the conclusion of the polarity comparison between the two.