CHEMISTRY COMMUNITY

How do we determine whether an acid/base is considered weak or strong?

And is there a specific threshold on the PH scale that determines whether an its weak or strong?

Hi there! In lecture on Monday, we learned that there are two properties that make an acid strong/weak. Strong acids lose H+ easily and form very stable anions. In addition, if you are given an acidity or basicity constant, you know that the acid or base is weak because it did not completely ionize in the solution. Also, inorganic acids are usually stronger than organic acids, although there are exceptions. Lastly, regarding the pH scale, i think an acid with a pH < 3 is considered strong and a base with a pH > 12.5 is considered strong. Hope that helps!

To determine whether an acid or a base is strong or weak, you need to know whether it ionizes completely.
Here's a list of strong acids and bases from http://www.austincc.edu/chemlab/strongacidbase

There is also a list on page 163 of the course reader.

To add on, most organic acids and bases (with carbon) are generally weak acids and bases.