Which acid is stronger?

A great variety of chemical elements andcompounds are present in human life constantly. This applies to acids. They can be either organic, mineral, or formed by sulfur. How to understand which acid is stronger and how to properly use this knowledge?

Determination of acid

A complex substance, in which,there is one or more hydrogen atoms, and also an acid residue, called acid. The acid is considered to be an electrolyte and has the property of dissociating, namely to decompose in hydrogen-containing solutions into hydrogen (cations) and acid residue (anions). Acids that dissociate almost completely are considered strong.

The concept of acid strength

Which is the strongest acid determines the degree of dissociation. It is expressed in% and is the ratio of dissociated molecules to the sum of undissociated and dissociated ones.

So, for example, for hydrochloric, hydroiodic, hydrobromic and nitric acid this is 92%, and for sulfuric 58%.

However, the strongest or "super acid"Carborane acid is considered. It is about a million times stronger than sulfuric acid concentrate. Its paradox is indicated by the fact that, unlike sulfuric acid, it is absolutely not aggressive with respect to materials and is capable of being stored in glass containers.

The acid obtained as a result of synthesis is an excellent "donor" of hydrogen, which determines its strength. H (CHB11Cl11) this is exactly what the formula of carboronic acid looks like.

Study of the strength of acid

How to determine which acid is stronger? In many ways, to understand the strength of the acid, the pH value helps. The pH is measured to be 0.1 mol / liter. Determine the value of the hydrogen index can be pH-meters. Instruments determine the value of this value very accurately. Also, the influence of temperature on the pH value is used. It is measured at a standard temperature of + 25 ° C.

The acidity of the medium is determined qualitativelyacid-base indicators. Indicators in different media have different colors. A universal can determine not only the environment, but also the pH of the solution.