[Even]

I have a question about some weak base and sodium salt.

Why can't Acetate ions exist on their own in a bottle on the shelf? Why is it always attached to some cation like sodium? Is it possible to make an acetate ion solution? 

Thanks

[Hunter2]

Acetate is an anion. This is negative charged.  Any negative charged Ion needs a positive charged one so the molecule gets neutral. So you need a cathion like sodium to get it. So there is no possibility to have only Anions in an bottle.

[JustinCh3m]

sodium acetate isn't a "molecule" but instead an ionic compound.  A single NaAc would be referred to as a "formula unit" but this is just semantics really.  :-)

[Even]

Acetate is an anion. This is negative charged.  Any negative charged Ion needs a positive charged one so the molecule gets neutral. So you need a cathion like sodium to get it. So there is no possibility to have only Anions in an bottle.

Thanks, but why must we  keep the species neutral in order to store it?

[Hunter2]

All compounds are neutral from outside. It is not possible to store charged ions.