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It is a strong acid only for the first hydrogen ion that is produced.

(1) H2SO4 --> H+ + HSO4^-

The remaining bisulfate ion, HSO4^-, is a weak acid and only partially dissociates.

(2) HSO4^- <==> H+ + SO4^2-

A misconception is that since sulfuric acid is a strong acid, that it dissociates like this:

(3) H2SO4 --> 2H+ + SO4^2-

That simply isn't the case except for extremely dilute solutions. As the concentration of the acid decreases, the acid behaves more and more like a strong diporotic acid. At "infinite dilution" it is accurate to write the dissociation as equation (3).

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12y ago

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