Why is hydrocloric acid stronger than ethanoic acid?

Answer 1

Yes - low pH means a stronger acid because pH is the NEGATIVE logarithm to base 10 of the [H+] ion concentration. Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid in that it fully ionizes and has a higher concentration of hydrogen ions on a like for like basis than ethanoic acid (acetic acid) which is a weak acid in that it does not fully dissociate.

Answer 2

Hydrochloric acid(HCl) is a lot more reactive than ethanoic acid(Regular vinegar). The power of an acid often lies in how much it will dissociate in water to form hydrogen ions. HCl will dissociate nearly to 100% while ethanoic acid will only dissociate to about 1%.

Answer 3

In hydrochloric acid, the hydrogen atom is bonded directly to the much larger and highly electronegative chlorine atom, so the hydrogen ion easily breaks away. In ethanoic acid, the acidic hydrogen is bonded to oxygen which forms a stronger bond with hydrogen in part due to its smaller radius compared to chlorine. Additionally, the carbon and additional hydrogen atoms of the ethanoic acid molecule exert only a weak electron pull.

Answer 4

No. Hydrochloric acid is more dangerous as it is a strong acid.

Answer 5

yes