Sodium acetate can be used as a base to synthesize:
- Oxazolones via Erlenmeyer Plochl condensation reaction of aromatic aldehydes and hippuric acid.
- Cinnamic acids via Perkin reaction between aromatic aldehydes and acid anhydrides.
A mixture of sodium acetate-acetic acid buffer can be employed in the polybromination of substituted imidazoles to synthesize polybrominated imidazoles.
It can also be used as a catalyst in tandem Knoevenagel-Michael multicomponent reactions.