Answer to Question #158297 in General Chemistry for Christian

Question

Arrange the compounds in each of the following groups in order of increasing acidity strength and explain the order you assign.(2 points)      

A. H2O , H2S,  H2Se , H2Te

B. HF, HCl, HBr, HI

Answer 1

А. H2O, H2S, H2Se, H2Te

Б. HF, HCl, HBr, HI

According to the periodic table, in the group from top to bottom, the acidic properties of hydrogen compounds of non-metals increase. This is due to the fact that the radius of ions of non-metals becomes larger, the length of the bond between hydrogen and non-metal increases and thus becomes weaker (easier to break). The radius of the fluorine ion is smaller than the radius of the iodine ion. This means that fluorine attracts hydrogen to itself more strongly, the bond is shorter, and the acidic properties are less.