JEE Exam » Difference Between » Strong Acid and Weak Acid

Strong Acid and Weak Acid

This article will discuss strong acids and weak acids, their definition and functions in the world and how they are seen from the viewpoint of science. Strong acids and weak acids are essential topics to know about as they are asked during examinations and are also a vital section discussed in the scientific world. Furthermore, the article will further explain important information on other strong and weak acids topics.

What are Strong and Weak acids?

The dimension of an atom tells us about the strength of an acid’s binding: when the atom’s dimension or size is small, it usually has a strong bond. When you go through a row within the Periodic Table, all atoms become bigger, and the bonding gets weaker, leading to enhanced and stronger acids. The strongest bond, as well as the weakest acid among the chemicals, is HF. This strong link between the ‘H’ and ‘F’ molecules, which are more comparable in size, doesn’t break that easily; therefore, it does not allow this ‘H’ molecule to transfer. There is another weak bond constituting atoms of HI and is a potent acid. Its mighty ‘I’ atom overwhelms the comparatively weaker ‘H,’ resulting in a poor H-I connection. So this whole bond is an excellent mode of transfer for protons and seems to be one strong acid.

    What is a strong acid?

    Strong acid solutions usually have a strong acid breakdown constant as well as a smaller logarithmic variable. Although most powerful acids seem to be corrosive in nature, specific acid solutions aren’t. On the other hand, certain weaker acids could be quite corrosive in nature, for example, hydrofluoric acid. The capacity where the acid can dissociate decreases when acid concentration rises. Strong acids disintegrate entirely when exposed to water when in normal circumstances, while very concentrated and strong solutions do not decompose. In a liquid solution, a strong acid becomes totally disintegrated, or it can be said that ionization occurs. H+ seems to be a chemical substance with a higher chance of losing protons. When in water, these strong acids release a single proton, which is taken by the liquid or water and converted to a hydronium ion.

      Features:

      • Radius: The acidity of the solution rises when the radius grows. An example of such can be , HI is a much more powerful acid when compared to HCl
      • Attraction: If a base has low electronegativity in the periodic table, it is more acidic
      • Charge: When the charge of an atom is positive, the more acidic it is. It can be said that obtaining a proton from a neutral substance is simpler when compared to obtaining one from a negatively charged molecule

      Weak acids

      Strong acids, as well as bases, seem to get entirely ionized when exposed to water, but weaker acids, as well as bases, get only partially ionized in liquid concentrations. Additionally, weak acids seem relatively prevalent, because we come across them frequently across both academic as well as regular day to day situations. Weak acid or base discharge seems to be a chemical neutralization event. The stability concepts are vital to understanding the weak acids and weak base equilibrium level.  A weak acid is known as a solution that does not entirely disintegrate, meaning it does not transfer its hydrogen ions to the solution. When compared against strong acids, which seem to contain bigger Ka values, weak acids seem to contain very lower Ka amounts. The great majority of acid chemicals are ineffective as well as weak . As a result, in a low concentration acid solution, the H+ ions are always smaller when compared to the concentration of the no disintegrated solutions like HA.

        Key differences between Strong and Weak Acids

        Topics Strong Weak
        Ionisation Strong acids are solutions that get ionised in a liquid solution. Whenever a strong acid gets mixed with H2O, it seems to always release a proton. In short, a strong acid seems to be very active as well as very effective at releasing protons. The weak acid includes the solutions which only partially ionises in water. It merely releases some few hydrogen atoms into the liquid solution. As a result, it is less effective when compared to a powerful acid.
        Conductivity The level of conductivity regarding strong acids seems to be usually high. When tested with the same  power as well as concentration, strong acids normally transfer greater current compared to weak acids. The level of conductivity with weak acids seems to be minimal. They are weak conductors containing very low current transmission capacity.
        Reaction and Ph The Ph levels of the strong acids are usually under 3. Strong acids seem to contain large concentrations of hydrogen ions. Strong acids seem to have a quicker rate of reactions. The pH of weak acids range from 3 to 7. Weak acids seem to have a much slower response rate compared to strong acids.

        Conclusion

        The article talks about what strong and weak acids are. The strong acids have a higher chance of releasing protons when mixed with water when compared to weaker ones. Similar differences are mentioned throughout the article to understand the topic better.
        faq

        Frequently asked questions

        Get answers to the most common queries related to the JEE Examination Preparation.

        What are hydrogen ions?

        Answer: Whenever a following hydrogen atom sheds or rather receives an electron, the hydrogen ion gets formed. Howev...Read full

        What are Ph levels?

        Answer: The strength of an acid is determined by the quantity of proton it gen...Read full