A strong acid is an acid that completely ionizes (dissociates) in water, releasing all of its hydrogen ions. This means that in a solution of a strong acid, almost every acid molecule gives up its proton. As a result, strong acids produce a very high concentration of hydrogen ions, making them highly corrosive and very effective in reactions.
Key Points:
- They have a very low pH (close to 0 or 1 in concentrated form).
- They are much stronger than weak acids because they fully dissociate.
- Strong acids are good electrical conductors in solution because of the large number of ions present.
Common examples of strong acids:
- Hydrochloric acid
- Sulfuric acid
- Nitric acid
In simple words: a strong acid is one that gives away all its hydrogen ions in water, making it extremely acidic.