Question

Provide a definition of an acid and explain what differentiates a strong acid from a weak acid. Use chemical equations to support your response.

Answer 1

Acid : an acid is a substance which gives H+ ions in the aqueous solution according to arrhenius theory

HCl (aq) -----------------> H+ (aq ) + Cl- (aq)

an acid is a substance which furnishes H+ ions according to bronsted lowry theory

H3PO4 -----------------> H2PO4- + H+

an acid is a substance which is electron pair acceptor according to lewis theory

NH3 + BF3 ---------------> (BF3<--NH3 )

here BF3 is the acid

strong acid which dissociate almost as ions . HCl , H2SO4 , HNO3 , HClO4 are strong acid

HCl -----------------> H+ + Cl-

HNO3 -------------> H+ + NO3-

weak acid dissociation only small extent there will be equilibrium possible between undissociated part and dissociated part.

examples : H2CO3 , CH3COOH , HCN etc

HCN <-------------------> H+ + CN-

CH3COOH <------------------> CH3COO- + H+