You are here
Why do HCl, HNO 3 , etc., show acidic characters in aqueous solutions while solutions of compounds like alcohol and glucose do not show acidic character?
Answer:
Acids conduct electricity in water. Those compounds which ionise completely in water to give out H+ ions show acidic characters in aqueous solutions (conduction of electricity) . These are usually strong acids. Acids like HCl, HNO 3 dissociate in water as follows,
HCl → H + + Cl -
Since H+ ions are produced in the case of strong acids, these acids show acidic characters in aqueous solutions which means they conduct electricity.
On the other hand,
Alcohols and glucose are weak acids and don't ionise completely as shown in the figure above, hence they don't show acidic characters in aqueous medium.
