CHEMISTRY COMMUNITY

What would be considered a weak acid/base? And how do you know it's weak?

Examples of weak acids - CH3COOH, H3PO4, HF
Examples of weak bases - NH3, C5H5N, NH4OH
Weak bases are only partially protonated in solution. Most of the examples of strong/weak acids and bases you just have to memorize. However, for weak acids there are a few guidelines to distinguish them, such as the length of the A-H bond and the stability of the conjugate base.

I'm not too sure about bases, but acid strength is determined by bond length and stability of the anion in the compound. The longer/weaker the bond between the atoms, and the more stable the anion, the stronger the acid.

For example, HI is a stronger acid than HF because I is a larger atom than F, meaning the bond between I and H will be longer and weaker, which means it is a stronger acid.

Also, hypochlorous acid (HClO) is a stronger acid than hypoiodous acid (HOI) because Cl is more electronegative than I, therefore it is a stronger anion in the compound and results in more acidic character.

You are supposed to remember all the strong acid and bases, according to a UA. Then the rest are all weak ones.

Weak acids include all organic acids.

I went to Lyndon's review session and he said its best to just memorize them

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