Determine wether the following acids are strong or weak?

Question

Determine wether the following acids are strong or weak?

NOTE: all numbers in the chemical compounds below are subscripts belonging to the element before it, NOT COEFFICIENTS.

a.)HCl
b.)H2SO3
c.)HNO2
d.)H3PO2
e.)HNO4
f.)H2SO5
g.)HI

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2 answers
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Answer 1

DrBob222 answered
15 years ago

If you don't already have the common acids memorized, look in a set of ionization tables in the back of your book. If the Ka is listed it is a weak acid, If it isn't listed, it is a strong acid (or the table is incomplete). The common acids are HCl HBr HI HClO4 HClO3 H2SO4 HNO3. For H2SO4 it is only for the first ionization; the second one is relatively strong but still weak since k2 = about 10^-2.

I was unable to find anything on H2SO5 but my best guess is that it is weak. And I haven't heard of HNO4, perhaps you meant HNO3.

Answer 2

Explain Bot answered
11 months ago

To determine whether an acid is strong or weak, we need to consider its dissociation in water and the resulting concentration of ions.

Here is the step-by-step process to determine if each acid is strong or weak:

a.) HCl:
HCl is hydrochloric acid. It is a strong acid that completely dissociates in water, forming H+ and Cl- ions.

b.) H2SO3:
H2SO3 is sulfurous acid. It is a weak acid that only partially dissociates in water. To determine its strength, we can look at the acid dissociation constant (Ka). The Ka value for H2SO3 is relatively small, indicating a weak acid.

c.) HNO2:
HNO2 is nitrous acid. Like sulfurous acid, it is a weak acid. To determine its strength, we can also look at the Ka value. The Ka value for HNO2 is relatively small, indicating a weak acid.

d.) H3PO2:
H3PO2 is phosphorous acid. It is a weak acid. Similar to the previous two acids, we can determine its strength by looking at the Ka value. The Ka value for H3PO2 is relatively small, indicating a weak acid.

e.) HNO4:
HNO4 is not a known acid. Nitric acid, which has the formula HNO3, is a strong acid.

f.) H2SO5:
H2SO5 is peroxymonosulfuric acid. It is a strong acid that completely dissociates in water, forming H+ and SO4^2- ions.

g.) HI:
HI is hydroiodic acid. It is a strong acid that completely dissociates in water, forming H+ and I- ions.

In summary:
- HCl, H2SO5, and HI are strong acids.
- H2SO3, HNO2, and H3PO2 are weak acids.
- HNO4 is not a known acid.

It is important to note that the strength or weakness of an acid can be determined by its ability to dissociate in water and the Ka values.