Question

For the following list of acids, rank the acids in strength from weakest acid to strongest acid.

Answer 1

Answer:

CH3OH < FCH2OH < F2CHOH < F3COH

Explanation:

Let us recall that, for a carboxylic acid, the dissociation of the acid yields;

RCOOH ⇄RCOO^- + H^+

The ease of dissociation and release of the hydrogen ion depends on the nature of the group designated R.

When R is is a highly electronegative element, the -I inductive effect causes the hydrogen to become less tightly held by the C-Cl bond.

As the number of electron withdrawing substituents increaseses, the acid ionizes much more and becomes stronger.CH3OH < FCH2OH < F2CHOH < F3COH

Hence, the order of decreasing acid strength is;