Question

Medal and fan

Question about polyprotic acids?

I'm in between the answers "they ionize to give one H+ per molecule" and "they ionize to give more than one H+ per molecule". Since a titration curve shows that a polyprotic acid has three equivalence points where they ionize a H+ ion, I'm leaning towards the first. Would that be correct?

Answer 1

@sweetburger @aaronq @Abmon98

Answer 2

Polyprotic acid: contains many protons. only monoacids ionize to give one H+ per molecule

Answer 3

Right but is it different steps of the reaction then? I'm hoping that the second answer isn't saying that the acid ionizes all of its hydrogen ions at the same time.

Answer 4

polyprotic acids ionize their H+ one at a time, so the curve for a polyprotic acid will have as many equivalence points as the acid has H+ ions

Answer 5

Right, I understand that, I wasn't questioning that, I was using that example to support what answer I chose. Would that mean the second answer would be correct? I just want to make sure the ANSWER isn't saying that they ionize more than one at once.

Answer 6

is the first option even true for a polyprotic acid?

Answer 7

If they're talking about at each equivalence point then yes.

Answer 8

but the MOLECULE is the whole thing, not each successive ionization

Answer 9

Yeah, I guess that's true.

Answer 10

Thankyou(:

Answer 11

YVW