Q.Which of the following is the strongest acid among all ?
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Acid strength of the hydrohalic acids increases down the group, , because bond dissociation energy (not electronegativity) governs how easily the H-X bond ionises in water, and H-I is the weakest bond.
Although fluorine is the most electronegative halogen, HF is actually the weakest of the four hydrohalic acids because the H-F bond is exceptionally strong and short (high bond dissociation energy), making it difficult to break/ionise; HF is also known to form strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds, further reducing its effective acidity in water (it is a weak acid, ). As the halogen atom gets larger going down the group (FClBrI), the H-X bond length increases and its bond dissociation energy steadily decreases, so the bond ionises more readily in water. Consequently acid strength incre …
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