How do I determine which is the strongest acid?

Question

Acid: Ka:

HOAc 1.8 x 10^-5

HCHO2 1.8 x 10^-4

HClO 3.0 x 10^-8

HF 6.8 x 10^-4

Answer 1

the strongest acid is the one burning your hands in lab. the weakest is the one that is still properly contained.

trust me on this.

Answer 2

the acid which has the biggest Ka is the strongest. In this case HF is the strongest one.

Answer 3

Your given the Ka. The Ka or acid dissociation constant is a measure of how much the acid breaks apart to produce H+ and A-. For a generic acid the dissociation is:

HA(aq) --> H+(aq) + A-(aq)

The equilibrium expression for the reaction is:

[H+] = concentration of hydrogen ions

[A-] = concentration of conjugate base

[HA] = concentration of undissociated acid

Ka = ([H+][A-])/[HA]

See how the equilibrium constant Ka is just a ratio of products over reactants. So the larger the Ka the more products there are. If there is more product this means there is more hydrogen ions. The more hydrogen ions there are the stronger the acid is. You want the acid with the largest Ka which is HF. HF is the strongest acid of the group.

Answer 4

i think sodium is strongest acid