Strong Acid - Definition and Examples

Definition: A strong acid is an acid that completely dissociates in water to produce hydrogen ions (H+) and anions.

Examples:

- Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) is a strong acid as it completely dissociates in water to produce two hydrogen ions and one sulphate anion (SO42-).
- Citric acid (C6H8O7) is a weak acid as it only partially dissociates in water to produce hydrogen ions and citrate anions.
- Malic acid (C4H6O5) is a weak acid as it only partially dissociates in water to produce hydrogen ions and malate anions.
- Acetic acid (CH3COOH) is a weak acid as it only partially dissociates in water to produce hydrogen ions and acetate anions.

Explanation:

In the given options, sulphuric acid is the only strong acid. When sulphuric acid is dissolved in water, it completely dissociates into hydrogen ions and sulphate anions. This means that all the molecules of sulphuric acid dissociate in water to produce hydrogen ions and sulphate ions.

On the other hand, citric acid, malic acid, and acetic acid are weak acids. They only partially dissociate in water, which means that only a small fraction of their molecules dissociate to produce hydrogen ions and anions.

Therefore, sulphuric acid is the only strong acid among the given options.

Sulphuric acid is mineral acid and all others are organic generally organic acids are weaker than mineral acid.