Acid Strength & Concentration Flashcards

All 5 cards in this deck

What does 'dilute' mean when describing a solution?

It has a low concentration of solute (e.g. of acid / hydrogen ions) in the solution.

What is a strong acid?

An acid that fully dissociates (ionises) in solution to form H⁺ ions.

What is a weak acid?

An acid that only partially dissociates (ionises), so the concentration of H⁺ ions is lower than in a strong acid of the same concentration.

True or false? A dilute acid must be a weak acid.

False. Dilute refers to concentration; weak refers to the degree of dissociation — an acid can be dilute and strong.

Give one example of a strong acid and one example of a weak acid.

Strong: hydrochloric acid (nitric and sulfuric acid are also strong).
Weak: ethanoic acid, the acid in vinegar (citric and carbonic acid are also weak).