The strength of an acid is affected by the polarity of the bond connected to the acidic hydrogen. The more highly polarized this
bond, the more easily the hydrogen is ionized. Electronegative atoms or groups of atoms present in the structure of an acid can act to withdraw electrons and produce additional polarization. Two common groups of acids to which this principle can be applied are oxyacids and carboxylic acids. Arrange the following oxyacids in order of decreasing acid strength. Rank from strongest to weakest acid. a. HBrO
b. HClO
c. HClO3
d. HClO2
Oxyacids are acid containing oxygen; they are also known as acid-alcohol or acid-phenol. As said earlier, the strength of these acids increases with increases in the polarity of these compounds. So, what makes the polarity is as a result of the electronegative substituents attached to it. Halogen family possesses the highest electronegativity in the periodic table, and electronegativity decreases down the group.
The ranking of the oxyacids in order of decreasing acid strength from strongest to weakest acid is:
★ Molecular geometry is described by VSEPR theory, which basically states that electron pairs around a central atom will repel each other, and get as far apart as possible, in three dimensions.
