Question

Use electronic and stability factors to account for the acidity of each hydrogen in

the 3-hydroxybenzoic acid. Label each from increasing to decreasing acidity.

Answer 1

These trends are largely due to changes in the electronegativity and size of the nonmetal atom: 1. Going across a period the acid strength increases as there is an increase in electronegativity and the molecule gets more polar, with the hydrogen getting a larger partial positive charge.