Assignment of chemistry (lab)

Department: School of chemistry

1 semester

Submitted to: Sir Salman

Submitted by: Faiza Ijaz
Roll no: 15
Date : June 2, 2023
Topic : Strong acid group

1|Page
 Strong acid group
What are strong acids?
Acids that upon dissociation in water gets almost completey
ionized are called as strong acids.
Strength of an acid depends upon its ability to give hydrogen
ions in water and is represented by Ka.
Greater is the value of Ka stronger is the acid.

By bronsted lowry concept:

According to bronsted lowry concept the stenght of an acid
or a base is defined as its capacity to give H+ or OH+ ions in
equimolar solution in water respectively.
For a strong acid HA can be represented with a single arrow:
HA + H2O → H3O + A−
Here Water is the base that reacts with the acid HA and A−
is the conjugate base of the acid HA, and the hydronium ion is
the conjugate acid of water. By definition, a strong acid yields
100% of H3O+ and A− when the acid ionizes in water.
The equilibrium constant for this dissociation is as follows:
K=[H3O+][A−]/[H2O][HA]
Here water is used in large quantity so it is constant then the
equation becomes

2|Page
 K x [H2O]=[H3O+][A−]/[HA]
Ka=[H3O+][A−]/[HA]
This Ka is called ionic dissociation constant of water. And
represents how much an acid is dissociated in water. Greater
is the value of Ka stronger is the acid.
For instance, when you look at the ionization reaction of
hydrochloric acid (HCl), one of the seven acids in the strong
acids list, it is as follows:
HCl → H+ + Cl-

In the reaction, you can see hydrogen ion H+ and Cl- are the
end products. It means that HCl completely ionizes during the
reaction. Another importance of this dissociation is that it
only proceeds in one direction. It concludes that once you
ionize a strong acid, the reaction will stop there. Also, any
such reaction is irreversible.

List of strong acids:

A total of seven acids are widely regarded as “strong” acids in
the field of chemistry. The list of strong acids is provided
below.

1. Hydrochloric acid (denoted by the chemical formula HCl)

3|Page
 2. Hydrobromic acid (denoted by the chemical formula
HBr)
3. Hydroiodic acid or hydriodic acid (denoted by the
chemical formula HI)
4. Sulfuric acid (denoted by the chemical formula H2SO4)
5. Nitric acid (denoted by the chemical formula HNO3)
6. Chloric acid (denoted by the chemical formula HClO3)
7. Perchloric acid (denoted by the chemical formula HClO4)

These acids are classified as strong acids because they

(almost) completely dissociate into their constituent ions,
which includes their anionic conjugate base and a proton,
when they are dissolved in water.

1.Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)

 Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid. It is because HCl
has the ability to easily and almost completely dissociate
in water, which is the characteristic of a strong acid. In
addition, it can make a neutral salt like NaCl when
combined with a strong base like NaOH.
 Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is a
chemical compound with the formula HCl.
 This compound is a colourless, inorganic acid.
 Hydrochloric acid is known to have a very pungent
odour.

4|Page
  It is also known to be highly acidic and has the ability to
attack and cause damage to the skin.
 Hydrochloric acid is considered to be the simplest acidic
system that contains chlorine and water. Hydrochloric
acid is nothing but a solution of hydrogen chloride mixed
with water. However, this system is known to contain a
number of other chemical compounds such as the
chloride ion and the hydronium ion.
 This acidic system is known to be a natural component
of the gastric acid that is formed in the digestive tracts
of almost all animal species. Even the digestive systems
of human beings are known to naturally produce
hydrochloric acid in order to aid the digestion of the
consumed food.

Uses of hydrochloric acid:

 It is used to make inorganic compounds, control pH
levels, pickle steel, and purify metals. In general, it is one
of the cheapest, easiest and safest to store powerful
acids.
 Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is used in making cleaning
products.
 Its corrosive nature helps to remove stains.
 It is also used in the making of fertilizers, chloride, dye
etc.

2.Hydrobromic Acid (HBr)

5|Page
 Hydrobromic acid is a very solid acid which is formed
when hydrogen bromide (a diatomic molecule consisting
of one hydrogen atom and one bromine atom) is dissolved
in water.
 Hydrobromic acid has an acid dissociation constant (often
denoted by the symbol pKa) of magnitude −9.
 This implies that hydrobromic acid is a stronger acid when
compared to hydrochloric acid.
 However, this acid is not known to be as strong as
hydroiodic acid when it comes to acidic strength. It can be
noted that hydrobromic acid is one of the most potent
known mineral acids.

Uses of hydrobromic acid.

 Hydrobromic acid is used primarily for the production of
certain inorganic bromides, especially calcium, zinc and
sodium bromides.
 This compound is a very good reagent for the processing
of organobromine compounds.
 Several ethers are cleaved with HBr.
 This compound also catalyzes certain alkylation reactions
that have applications in the extraction of ores.

3.Hydroiodic acid:
 Hydroiodic acid (sometimes referred to as hydriodic
acid) is an extremely acidic solution of hydrogen iodide

6|Page
 and water. This compound is known to be the second
strongest acid of hydrogen and a halogen .
 Hydroiodic acid is a widely used chemical reagent.
 This compound has the ability to completely ionize when
placed in an aqueous solution.
 Under standard conditions for temperature and
pressure, this compound exists as a colourless liquid
which has a slightly acrid odour.
 The density of hydroiodic acid is approximately equal to
1.7 grams per millilitre under standard conditions.
 This acid is known to have a boiling point of 400 Kelvin
or 127 degrees Celsius.

Uses of hydroiodic acid:

 Hydroiodic acid is used as a catalyst in the formation of
acetic acid. Acetic acid is used to produce vinegar that is
usually found as an ingredient in our kitchens.
 Hydroiodic acid is one of the most expensive catalysing
reagents because it is very commonly used in both
inorganic as well as organic iodide preparations. This is
because of its strong reducing ability.
 Hydroiodic acid is also used in the disinfectant industry
due to its high level of acidity. The high levels of acidic
nature allows hydroiodic acid to kill various types of
germs and other microbes on the floor or any other
surface.

7|Page
  Hydroiodic acid is also a major component used in
medical disinfectants. It is used to sterilise medical tools
and also has a chemical composition in liquids used to
control microbial growth.

4.Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4):

 Sulphuric acid (sometimes spelt as sulphuric acid and
sometimes referred to as vitriol oil or oil of vitriol) is a
mineral acid consisting of oxygen, sulphur and hydrogen.
 The molecular formula of this compound can be written
as H2SO4.
 This acid is a colourless and odourless liquid which is
highly viscous in nature.
 It can also be noted that sulphuric acid is water-soluble
and is usually synthesized in highly exothermic reactions
 The corrosiveness of this compound can be attributed
mainly to its strong acidic nature (and also its oxidizing
properties when it is kept at high concentrations).
 Sulphuric acid is also known to be hygroscopic.
 It absorbs water vapour from the air readily.
 It is important to note that sulphuric acid can cause
serious chemical burns on contact and even secondary
thermal burns. This is the reason why, even at lower
concentrations, it is thought to be very dangerous.

Uses of Sulphuric Acid

8|Page
 Sulphuric acid is highly acidic. Therefore, it is used in the
cleaning of metals, removal of impurities from
oil,manufacturing of chemicals – nitric acid, hydrochloric
acid, synthesis of dye, drugs, detergents, explosives, etc.
 It is a very dangerous chemical and should be handled
carefully. Because of the hazards associated with it, its
uses at home are very few. It is used in drain cleaners
with reactive properties and hence makes home
maintenance easy
 It is used in different industries such as – wastewater
processing, production of cleaning agents, processing of
minerals, producing explosives, detergents and paper
industry for the manufacture of aluminium sulphates.
 Used to damage the cancerous cell DNA by the
manufacture of chemotherapy drugs. It is used in
ointments to treat various skin infections. It is the basic
ingredient of topical ointment named Debacterol in the
treatment of canker sores
 It is used in skin ointments to treat skin infections like
canker sores. Concentrated sulphuric acid is harmful for
skin. It causes severe skin burns and injuries.
 Other applications are – it is used in the manufacture of
batteries, detergents like trisodium phosphate, potato
farming, printing ink, as a dehydrating agent, making
paper, perfume, disinfectants, drugs etc.

9|Page
5.Nitric Acid (HNO3)
 Nitric acid (denoted by the chemical formula
HNO3), also referred to as the spirit of nitre and
sometimes as aqua fortis, is an extremely corrosive
mineral acid.
 This compound is a very powerful oxidizing agent
and is widely used in nitration reactions that involve the
addition of a nitro group to a given reactant.
 The molar mass of nitric acid corresponds to 63.01
grams per mole. Under standard conditions for
temperature and pressure (usually abbreviated to STP),
this compound exists as colourless, yellow, or yellowish-
red liquid.
 This mineral acid is known to have an extremely
suffocating, acrid odour associated with it.this
compound has a melting point of 231 Kelvin and a
boiling point of 394 Kelvin.

Uses of nitric acid:

 Nitric acid is used in the production of ammonium
nitrate for fertilizers, making plastics, and in the
manufacture of dyes.
 It is also used for making explosives such as
nitroglycerin and TNT.
 When it is combined with hydrochloric acid, an element
called aqua regia is formed.

10 | P a g e
  This is a reagent that is capable of dissolving gold and
platinum
 Nitric acid is commonly used in science laboratories at
schools for experimenting when specifically testing for
chloride.

6.Perchloric acid:
 It is chemical compound with the formula HClO4, is a
very powerful mineral acid.
 This compound is a colourless substance which is
usually used in an aqueous solution.
 It can be noted that perchloric acid is a stronger acid
than sulphuric acid and nitric acid.
 When kept in a dry form, this compound is a very
potent oxidizer.
 Perchloric acid has many restrictions associated with its
handling due to its extremely powerful oxidizing
properties. For metals (such as aluminium) and organic
matter (such as wood and also certain plastics), this acid
is highly reactive. This is the reason why research
performed with perchloric acid must always be carried
out with the help of fume .

Uses of perchloric acid:

 Perchloric acid is used to separate potassium from
sodium, and in many laboratory tests and industrial
processes

11 | P a g e
  Perchloric acid is mainly produced as a precursor to
ammonium perchlorate, which is used in rocket fuel.
The growth in rocketry has led to increased production
of perchloric acid. Several million kilograms are
produced annually.
 Perchloric acid is one of the most proven materials for
etching of liquid crystal displays and critical electronics
applications as well as ore extraction and has unique
properties in analytical chemistry.

7.Chloric Acid (HClO3)

 Chloric acid is a chemical compound with the formula
HClO3.
 This compound is an oxoacid of chlorine and is highly
acidic in nature.
 Chloric acid is also known to be a very powerful oxidizing
agent.
 The molar mass of this compound is 84.45 grams per
mole.
 It is important to note that chloric acid is considered to
be thermodynamically unstable since it tends to readily
undergo disproportionation.

Uses:

12 | P a g e
  Chloric acid is mainly used for the formation of chlorate
salts such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, strontium,
lead, copper and silver chlorate,
 It is used to make many household cleaning product
and production of gelatine and other food additives.

Summary:
In short , strong acids are those that are almost completely
ionized in aqueous media. Sometimes they can be dangerous
so they should be handled with care.

13 | P a g e