Question

The pH of a 0.1 M HCl solution is _____ the pH of a 0.1 M CH3CO2H (acetic acid) solution.

a. >
b. the reciprocal of
c. =
d.

Answer 1

The pH of a 0.1 M HCl solution is greater than the pH of a 0.1 M CH3CO2H (acetic acid) solution.

Step-by-step explanation:

The pH of a solution is a measure of its acidity. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with values below 7 considered acidic, values above 7 considered basic, and values equal to 7 considered neutral.

In this case, HCl is a strong acid and completely dissociates in water, while CH3CO2H is a weak acid and only partially dissociates.

Since HCl is a strong acid, its 0.1 M solution will have a pH of 1.

This is because the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in the solution is directly proportional to the concentration of the acid.

On the other hand, since CH3CO2H is a weak acid, its 0.1 M solution will have a slightly higher pH, around 3-4.

This is because the dissociation of weak acids is not complete, resulting in a lower concentration of hydrogen ions.

Therefore, the pH of a 0.1 M HCl solution is <a (greater than) the pH of a 0.1 M CH3CO2H solution.