The acetate group is capable of binding to metal ions in a variety of ways through its two oxygen atoms and several connectivities are observed for the various hydrates of zinc acetate. Anhydrous zinc acetate adopts a polymeric structure consisting of zinc coordinated to four oxygen atoms in a tetrahedral environment, each tetrahedron being connected to neighbors by the acetate groups. The acetate ligands are not bidentate. In contrast, most metal diacetates feature metals in octahedral coordination with bidentate acetate groups.