Which one is most acidic 1. HCOOH 2. CH3COOH?

Question

Answer

In CH3COOH a electron donating group i.e. CH3 is present hence the tendency to release H+ decrease while in HCOOH no electron donating group is present and it can easily remove H+ decrease as compared to CH3COOH hence HCOOH is stronger acid than CH3COOH.

Answer

HCOOH is more acidic because in CH3COOH presence of methyl group increases +I effect which decreases its acidic strength as compared to HCOOH.

Answer

Introduction:
In order to determine which compound is more acidic between HCOOH (formic acid) and CH3COOH (acetic acid), we need to consider several factors that affect acidity. These factors include the stability of the conjugate base, the polarity of the acid, and the electronegativity of the substituents attached to the carboxyl group.

Conjugate base stability:
The stability of the conjugate base determines the strength of an acid. A more stable conjugate base indicates a stronger acid. In this case, the conjugate base of formic acid (HCOO-) is more stable than the conjugate base of acetic acid (CH3COO-). This is due to the presence of an electron-withdrawing hydrogen in formic acid, which stabilizes the negative charge on the carboxylate ion.

Polarity and electronegativity:
The polarity of an acid is influenced by the electronegativity of the substituents attached to the carboxyl group. In general, the greater the electronegativity of the substituents, the more acidic the compound. Acetic acid has a methyl group (CH3) attached to the carboxyl group, while formic acid has a hydrogen atom (H). Since hydrogen is less electronegative than carbon, formic acid is more acidic than acetic acid.

Summary:
Based on the stability of the conjugate base, polarity, and electronegativity of the substituents, we can conclude that formic acid (HCOOH) is more acidic than acetic acid (CH3COOH). The presence of an electron-withdrawing hydrogen in formic acid stabilizes the conjugate base, making it more stable. Additionally, the absence of an electronegative substituent in formic acid further contributes to its higher acidity.

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