Question

What's the difference between the formula of acetate and ethanoate?

when i searched up ethanoate, it brought up acetate instead

Answer 1

There is no difference.

Explanation:

Acetate is the older, pre-IUPAC name, whereas "ethanoate" is the systematic IUPAC type name for the species.

Therefore the well known ester product is referred to in systematic terms, in schools and colleges, as "ethyl ethanoate". However, it is referred to in industry (and basically everywhere outside of school laboratories!) as "ethyl acetate" (or even more commonly "EtAc").