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Chemistry 13 Online
OpenStudy (anonymous):

How to know if it is a weak acid or base

OpenStudy (anonymous):

A weak acid has a pH of between 5 and below 7, while a strong acid has a pH of 4 and below.

OpenStudy (anonymous):

Such an acid dissociates only partially in water, resulting in a low concentration of hydrogen ions, hence the pH level.

OpenStudy (aaronq):

"Such an acid dissociates only partially in water, resulting in a low concentration of hydrogen ions, hence the pH level." ^this isn't true because the acidity of a solution (pH) is influenced by the concentration of the acid aswell. Just like dilute HCl has a pH close to 7, yet HCl is still considered a strong acid. To find the strength (the extent of dissociation) of an acid you have to look it's the stability conjugate base. \(HA + H_2O\rightleftharpoons H_3O^+ + \underbrace{A^-}\) conjugate base the conjugate base of HCl, \(Cl^-\) is very stable as an anion (high electronegativity, filled orbitals), while the conjugate base of say, acetic acid, \(CH_3COO^-\) is not as stable.

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