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

Question

Responses

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

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 3 O + ions than hydrochloric acid.

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

Answer 1

The correct statement is:

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

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid that fully dissociates in solution, meaning it has a very high dissociation constant (\(K_a\)). Acetic acid (CH₃COOH), on the other hand, is a weak acid that only partially dissociates in solution, resulting in a much lower dissociation constant. This makes the first statement incorrect because the pH of hydrochloric acid will be lower than that of acetic acid at equivalent concentrations. The second statement about solute concentration and the third regarding H₃O⁺ production are also incorrect under equivalent initial conditions.