Final answer:
Citric acid monohydrate, C6H8O7•H2O, contains three acidic hydrogen atoms that can dissociate and are associated with the molecule's three carboxyl groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked how many acidic hydrogen atoms are found in citric acid monohydrate, which has the formula C6H8O7•H2O.
This organic acid is a tricarboxylic acid with three ionizable hydrogen atoms, which means it can donate three protons (H+) when dissolved in water.
Although citric acid contains a total of 8 hydrogen atoms, only three of these are acidic, as they are the ones that can dissociate from the three carboxyl groups (-COOH) within the citric acid molecule.
In contrast, while acetic acid (CH3CO2H) contains four hydrogen atoms, it is monoprotic, meaning only one hydrogen atom from the carboxyl group is acidic.