Experimenting with Acids & Bases: DeltaH, Dissociation & Bond Strength

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on an experiment comparing the heat of energy released during reactions involving a strong acid (HCl) with a strong base (NaOH) and a weak acid (ethanoic acid) with the same strong base. The results indicate that the reaction with the weak acid and strong base produced a greater heat of energy, calculated using the formula ΔH = mcT. This outcome is attributed to the differences in dissociation and bond strengths between strong and weak acids, where strong acids completely dissociate while weak acids do not.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of acid-base reactions
  • Knowledge of thermodynamic principles, specifically ΔH calculations
  • Familiarity with strong and weak acid definitions
  • Basic chemistry concepts related to dissociation and bond strength
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the dissociation constants (Ka) of weak acids
  • Learn about the enthalpy changes in acid-base neutralization reactions
  • Explore the concept of bond strength in chemical reactions
  • Investigate advanced calorimetry techniques for measuring heat changes
USEFUL FOR

Chemistry students, educators, and researchers interested in thermodynamics and acid-base chemistry will benefit from this discussion.

ditto_299
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I did an experiment with

a) strong acid (HCl) and strong base (NaOH)

b) weak acid (ethanoic) and strong base (NaOH)

so, I am looking at the heat of energy for both the reactions, and so i found that reaction a had a greater heat of energy was that of the reaction b) weak acid and strong base, (using the formula deltaH= mcT)

why would this be, in terms of dissociation or bond strenghths? i know that acids completely dissociate, but not too sure about the difference between weak acid and strong acid... help please!
 
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Show your numbers.

Weak acids are not completely dissociated.
 
ditto_299 said:
I did an experiment with

a) strong acid (HCl) and strong base (NaOH)

b) weak acid (ethanoic) and strong base (NaOH)

so, I am looking at the heat of energy for both the reactions, and so i found that reaction a had a greater heat of energy was that of the reaction b) weak acid and strong base, (using the formula deltaH= mcT)

why would this be, in terms of dissociation or bond strenghths? i know that acids completely dissociate, but not too sure about the difference between weak acid and strong acid... help please!

Are you neutralizing here? What are the values that you got?
 

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