To analyze the statements about hydrochloric acid (HCl) and acetic acid (CH₃COOH):
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The pH of a solution of hydrochloric acid must be less than the pH of a solution of acetic acid.
- This statement is generally incorrect. Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid and almost completely dissociates in solution, leading to a lower pH compared to a weak acid like acetic acid, which does not completely dissociate.
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The dissociation constant for hydrochloric acid is greater than the dissociation constant for acetic acid.
- This statement is correct. Hydrochloric acid has a very high dissociation constant because it fully dissociates in solution, while acetic acid has a much lower dissociation constant because it only partially dissociates.
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If the initial concentration of each acid is the same, then acetic acid will produce more H3O+ ions than hydrochloric acid.
- This statement is incorrect. Since hydrochloric acid is a strong acid and dissociates completely, it will produce more H₃O⁺ ions compared to acetic acid at the same initial concentration.
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A solution of hydrochloric acid at equilibrium will have a greater concentration of solute than a solution of acetic acid at equilibrium.
- This statement could be misleading without context. However, in general, since HCl dissociates completely, it will have a higher concentration of H₃O⁺ ions compared to acetic acid at the same initial concentration, which results in a higher effective concentration of solute after dissociation.
The correct statement is: The dissociation constant for hydrochloric acid is greater than the dissociation constant for acetic acid.
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