Why is hf a strong acid

Post by Catie Donohue 2K » Sat Dec 12, pm I agree with the previous response - because the bond between H and F is so strong due to their electronegativity difference, the molecule will not be inclined to lose the H atom the easier an acid gives off H, the stronger it is.

HF is not a strong acid because fluorine is a very small atom. Although the electronegativity difference in this molecule is larger than for HBr and HI, which are strong acids, the small length of the bond makes for a very strong H-F bond. The short length of the bond overcomes any extra weakness that the high polarity of the bond brings.

Another way to think about this is to look at the stability of the anion, F-. F- is highly corrosive because of this and so HF, even though it's a weak acid, is pretty dangerous because of the fluoride ions it produces when dissolved in water. This lower radius in comparison to the increasing size of Cl, Br, and I results in a lower distance between the H and F atoms, therefore making the bond significantly stronger. Therefore, we cannot assume that HF completely dissociates, and so it cannot be a strong acid.

Post by Mauricio Maravilla 3C » Sun Dec 13, am HF doesn't completely dissociate cause of how intensely the fluorine bonds to the hydrogen. As a result, the solution that it is supposed to be dissolved in is not acidic, or best case weakly acidic. The shorter a bond is, the stronger the bond is. The stronger bond makes it harder for the HF bond to break when dissolved in H2O causing the acid to be weak. Post by Crystal Pan 2G » Sun Dec 13, am F is very electronegative, so the bond between H and F are stronger than with the other H-halogen acids, which means its a weaker acid!

Therefore, it is a strong bond that requires a lot of energy to break. Based on the concepts we learned, it should be a strong acid. Related questions How do resonance structures affect acidity? How does carbon dioxide change the acid-base condition of a solution? Why do strong acids have a low pH? Is neutralization a double replacement reaction? Why is NaH a strong base?

Is HBr a strong acid? Is HF a strong acid? The chemical bond in this species is strong enough to limit acidity, so hydrofluoric acid is a very weak acid in dilute solution.

Concentrated HF solutions behave much like a strong acid. Hydrogen bonding also causes HF to have a higher boiling point than the other hydrogen halides. Two factors play into acid strength: atom size and the polarity of the H-A bond where A is the acid.

Fluorine is highly electronegative, so the bond in HF is a polar covalent bond. The more polar a bond is, the easier it is to remove the proton or hydrogen from the acid.