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Pure sulfuric acid does not occur naturally due to its strong affinity to water vapor; it is hygroscopic and readily absorbs water vapor from the air. [7] Concentrated sulfuric acid is a strong oxidant with powerful dehydrating properties, making it highly corrosive towards other materials, from rocks to metals.
Commonly used mineral acids are sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and nitric acid (HNO 3); these are also known as bench acids. [1] Mineral acids range from superacids (such as perchloric acid) to very weak ones (such as boric acid). Mineral acids tend to be very soluble in water and insoluble in organic solvents.
An acid which has more of a tendency to donate a hydrogen ion than the limiting acid will be a strong acid in the solvent considered, and will exist mostly or entirely in its dissociated form. Likewise, the limiting base in a given solvent is the solvate ion, such as OH − ( hydroxide ) ion, in water.
Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid or spirits of salt, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl). It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid. It is a component of the gastric acid in the digestive systems of most animal species, including humans.
Nitric acid is an inorganic compound with the formula H N O 3. It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. [6] The compound is colorless, but samples tend to acquire a yellow cast over time due to decomposition into oxides of nitrogen. Most commercially available nitric acid has a concentration of 68% in water.
Hydrogen chloride can protonate molecules or ions and can also serve as an acid-catalyst for chemical reactions where anhydrous (water-free) conditions are desired. Because of its acidic nature, hydrogen chloride is a corrosive substance, particularly in the presence of moisture.
Although hydrofluoric acid is regarded as a weak acid, it is very corrosive, even attacking glass when hydrated. [ 20 ] Dilute solutions are weakly acidic with an acid ionization constant K a = 6.6 × 10 −4 (or p K a = 3.18 ), [ 10 ] in contrast to corresponding solutions of the other hydrogen halides, which are strong acids ( p K a < 0 ).
Because DMSO accepts protons more strongly than H 2 O the acid becomes stronger in this solvent than in water. [11] Indeed, many molecules behave as acids in non-aqueous solutions but not in aqueous solutions. An extreme case occurs with carbon acids, where a proton is extracted from a C−H bond. [12] Some non-aqueous solvents can behave as acids.