Question

Consider the following illustrations:

Which beaker best illustrates what happens when the following acids are dissolved in water?

a. HNO₂ b. HNO₃ c. HCl d. HF e. HC₂H₃O₂

Short answer

Beaker 1 illustrates the dissociation of strong acids, i.e., HNO₃ and HCl. Beaker 2 illustrates the dissociation of weak acids, i.e., HNO₂, HF, or HC₂H₃O_2.

Step-by-step solution

Beaker 1 

In beaker 1, acids completely dissociate in ions, so it contains strong acids, i.e., HNO₃ and HCl.

Beaker 2

In beaker 2, acids dissociate much less in ions (mostly found in molecules), so it contains weak acids, i.e., HNO₂, HF, or HC₂H₃O₂.