Question

Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid. Acetic acid is a weak acid. Which statement about hydrochloric acid and acetic acid is correct?(1 point)
Responses

The dissociation constant for hydrochloric acid is greater than the dissociation constant for acetic acid.
The dissociation constant for hydrochloric acid is greater than the dissociation constant for acetic acid.

If the initial concentration of each acid is the same, then acetic acid will produce more H3O+ ions than hydrochloric acid.
If the initial concentration of each acid is the same, then acetic acid will produce more H sub 3 O + ions than hydrochloric acid.

A solution of hydrochloric acid at equilibrium will have a greater concentration of solute than a solution of acetic acid at equilibrium.
A solution of hydrochloric acid at equilibrium will have a greater concentration of solute than a solution of acetic acid at equilibrium.

The pH of a solution of hydrochloric acid must be less than the pH of a solution of acetic acid.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
The correct statement is:

**The dissociation constant for hydrochloric acid is greater than the dissociation constant for acetic acid.**

This is true because hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid that dissociates completely in solution, whereas acetic acid (CH₃COOH) is a weak acid that only partially dissociates. Therefore, the dissociation constant (Ka) for hydrochloric acid is significantly greater than that for acetic acid.

The other statements are incorrect for the following reasons:

1. **If the initial concentration of each acid is the same, then acetic acid will produce more H₃O⁺ ions than hydrochloric acid.** - This is false; hydrochloric acid will produce more H₃O⁺ ions since it dissociates completely.

2. **A solution of hydrochloric acid at equilibrium will have a greater concentration of solute than a solution of acetic acid at equilibrium.** - This can be misleading, but in general terms, HCl will produce a higher concentration of H₃O⁺ ions than acetic acid at equal initial concentrations.

3. **The pH of a solution of hydrochloric acid must be less than the pH of a solution of acetic acid.** - This is also true, but it stems from the fact that HCl is a strong acid and will have a lower pH than the weak acetic acid solution for the same initial concentration. However, this statement is more specific and relies on initial conditions whereas the first statement about dissociation constants is universally true regardless of concentration.