Zinc acetate is a component of some medicines, e.g., lozenges for treating the common cold.

[2] As an oral daily supplement it is used to inhibit the body's absorption of copper as part of the treatment for Wilson's disease.

[6] In anhydrous zinc acetate the zinc is coordinated to four oxygen atoms to give a tetrahedral environment, these tetrahedral polyhedra are then interconnected by acetate ligands to give a range of polymeric structures.

It can also be prepared by a reaction of glacial acetic acid with zinc oxide.

[12] The cluster compound has a tetrahedral structure with an oxide ligand at its center[13] Basic zinc acetate is a common precursor to metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).