How can you recognize an acid by it's chemical formula?

Answer 1

Most acids will have one or two hydrogen atoms at the beginning of their chemical formula. For Example, HNO3 is Nitric Acid, HCl is Hydrochloric Acid, and H2SO4 is Sulfuric Acid. There are some exceptions to this rule, such as Acetic Acid, the stuff in vinegar, whose chemical formula is CH3COOH.

Answer 2

It generally contains Hydrogen (H+), but no metal ions like Na+, K+, Li+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe3+, Zn2+, etc. or any basic ions like NH4+, N2H5+, OH-, S2-, NH2- , PH4+