I'm writing up a lab report for the an experiment in the separation and analysis of an unknown mixture (acid and neutral compound). The guideline I'm looking at states "You do need to include balanced reaction(s). Since you do not know the exact structure of your acid,
you may represent it as a generic acid."
What is the structure of a generic acid, exactly?
3 answers
Acids have H^+ in them (usually) somewhere and they have an anion of come kind. We usually write HA as a generic acid.
Thank you! Also, is there a "generic" neutral compound?
I'm not aware of one.