Question
Question: How does charge affect the strength of an acid?...
How does charge affect the strength of an acid?
Solution
When a compound that is acidic in nature is dissolved in water or any solution, then it contains hydrogen ions will be dissociated into hydrogen cations and negative ions. For example, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acids are strong acids while acetic acid, benzoic acid, etc are weak acids.
Complete answer:
When a compound that is acidic in nature is dissolved in water or any solution, then it contains hydrogen ions will be dissociated into hydrogen cations and negative ions.
So, the solution becomes acidic when there are free hydrogen ions or protons (H+), therefore, the solution has a positive charge. As the number of hydrogen ions or protons increases, the acidity of the solution also increases which means the charge in the solution has increased.
Some acids like hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, etc are strong acids while some acids like acetic acid, formic acid, benzoic acid, etc are weak acids.
If the acid is dissolved in water, and the concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution is high or the acid dissociates completely then, it is a strong acid.
If the acid is dissolved in water, and the concentration of hydrogen ions in the solution is low or the acid does not dissociate completely then, it is a weak acid.
Some reactions are:
HClH2OH++Cl−
CH3COOH⇆H2OH++CH3COO−
So, as the charge increases, the strength of the acid also increases.
Note:
The strength of the base can also be calculated by the charge in the solution, the basic character is when the compound contains hydroxyl ions and in the solution, the negative is there due to the hydroxyl ions (OH−).