How might you tell if a food contains an acid as one of its ingredients?
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Among formic acid (HCOOH ) and sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), formic acid is the weak acid. Acidic strength of any acid is the tendency of that acid to loose proton. Among these two acids formic acid has a pKa value of 3.74 greater than that of sulfuric acid i.e. -10. Remember! Greater the pKa value of acid weaker is that acid and vice versa. Below I have drawn the Ionization of both acids to corresponding conjugate bases and protons. The structures below with charges are drawn in order to explain the reason for strength. As it is seen in charged structure of formic acid, there is one positive charge on carbon next to oxygen carrying proton. The electron density is shifted toward carbon as it is electron deficient and demands more electron hence, attracting electron density from oxygen and making the oxygen hydrogen bond more polar. While, in case of sulfuric acid it is depicted that Sulfur attached to oxygen containing proton has 2+ charge, means more electron deficient as compared to carbon of formic acid, hence, more electron demanding and strongly attracting electrons from oxygen and making the oxygen hydrogen bond very polar and highly ionizable.
