Question
Is ethanoic acid a weak or strong acid?
Answer
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(310 Votes)
Joshua
Expert · Tutor for 3 years
Answer
Weak acid.
Explanation
In chemistry, acids are classified as either strong or weak based on their ionization in water. A strong acid is one that completely ionizes in water, meaning it dissociates to form the corresponding hydronium ion and the conjugate base. In contrast, a weak acid only partially ionizes in water, establishing an equilibrium between the un-ionized and ionized forms of the acid. Ethanoic acid, also known as acetic acid, is a weak acid. It only partially ionizes in water, meaning only a small percentage of the acid molecules actually donate a hydrogen ion to a water molecule to form the hydronium ion and the acetate ion, its conjugate base.