Acid/Base Strength

[Erin Lee 1F]

What makes something a strong or weak acid? What makes something a strong or weak base? Given a chemical formula of an acid or a base, how do I tell if it is strong or weak?

[Donovan Le 1A]

A strong acid or base is one that completely ionizes in water and breaks up into its component ions, whereas a weak acid or base only partially ionizes. It is best to memorize the strong acids (HI, HCL, HBr, HNO3, HClO3, HClO4, H2SO4) and strong bases (LI(OH), Na(OH), K(OH), Ca(OH)2 , Sr(OH)2, Br(OH)2) etc. When comparing the strengths of acids relative to one another, you can compare bond length; for example, HF is weak compared to HI, seeing as HI has a longer length and will disassociate more easily. You can also compare acid induction or how stable a compound will be once it loses its hydrogen (if the central atom is connected to more electronegative molecules, it will be more stable, resulting in a stronger acid). In regards to bases, compounds with nitrogen tend to be weak bases. I hope this helps!