What makes a weak acid?

[ColmConnolly3D]

Hi all,

On exams, will we be specifically told when we are dealing with a "weak" acid or base? I have a hard time with memorization, so I dont want to memorize the strong acids table unless I need to.

Thanks in advance!
Colm

[Sara_Lim_2C]

From my knowledge the only real specification for a weak acid (other than that it doesn't fully dissociate) is that it's not one of the strong ones :/ unfortunately I think memorizing the strong acids the way to go because I don't think we'll be told if they're strong or weak.

[ColmConnolly3D]

Ok, thanks for the help Sara! I'll make a quizlet :(

[605291562]

Hi! I think we should be able to recognize weak acids and bases based on similarities and patterns (for example COOH often indicates a weak acid) which does take a little bit of memorization, but with the more practice you get they become easier to see.

[305572629]

Weak acids consist of all acids besides the 7 strong acids. Additionally, it may help to remember that the conjugate acid of a strong base is a weak acid in some cases.

[Ranen_Chang_2G]

Essentially, you would just need to memorize the list of strong acids, since strong bases have the hydroxide groups.

[Bai Rong Lin 2K]

I think it is good to remember how to determine strong and weak acids.

[Mansi Solanki 3A]

I think that for this course, Dr. Lavelle specified that anything that is not on the list of strong acids would be considered a weak acid, so it might be better to try to remember which ones are strong instead of those that are weak. One of the best methods that I found for memorizing besides using flash cards or quizlet is to write down what kind of acid something is in a homework problem that has a chemical equation involving acids and bases to get more familiar with them over time.

[Abraham De Luna]

It is probably recommended that you just remember what the strong and weak acids are.

[Ethan Laureano 3H]

It is best to memorize as I think it is difficult to derive from knowing the qualifications. That being said, a weak acid will not lose hydrogen protons easily. Additionally, a weak acid will not result in a stable anion. And weak acids typically have short, strong bonds.

[Gustavo_Chavez_1K]

Yeah I would say that the memorizing the list of strong acids and strong bases would help out a lot for this. Since if they are not on the list then they are automatically considered weak. Well weak in comparison to the listed strong acids and bases.

[Emily Tieu 2K]

If it is not one of the 7 strong acids, the acid is generally considered weak. I think it's best to memorize the list, including the strong bases.