Can a weak acid or electrolyte have a high concentration? Please explain.

Question

abb0t · Answer

Well, ask yourself, do weak acids "completely" dissociate? What happens?

anonymous · Answer

What?

shiraz14 · Answer

Yes, concentration is an independent concept from strength, although most individuals presume that they are the same. A weak acid/electrolyte/base does not totally dissociate in solution (hence its 'weakness') - increasing its concentration does not increase its strength significantly. While a strong acid/alkali dissociates almost completely in solution even in dilute concentrations.
With regards to acids & alkalis, a measure of an acid/alkali's concentration is its pH; a measure of its strength is its Ka (for acids) or Kb (for alkalis).

jfraser · Answer

acid concentration and acid strength are completely separate, ans @shiraz14 says. most of us think a "strong" cup of coffee and a "concentrated" cup of coffee as the same thing. Turns out, the acid that makes up coffee is fairly weak, there's just a lot of it in a concentrated cup of coffee.