- #1
kirsten_2009
- 137
- 2
Homework Statement
Label the acid hydrogen in each of the following compounds and arrange them in order of increasing acidity and explain the trend.
Homework Equations
N/A
The Attempt at a Solution
I'm not quite sure what the question means by "label" the acidic hydrogen but I believe the most acidic hydrogen is the one closest to the most electronegative element, correct? I labeled them in the image with red but not sure if this is the conventional way of doing it or if I'm missing something? It just seems strange.
I would arrange them: C<B<A with A being the most acidic.
Why? My reasoning is that because the carbon with the triple bond is sp hybridized which means that 50% of its hybrid orbital is "s" character and since "s" orbitals are closer to the nucleus; they have a better capability of handling the negative charge left behind when the proton dissociates and thus forms a more stable conjugate base...same reasoning for the other two...thoughts? Thanks.