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Chemistry vocabulary · Acids, Bases and Salts

Strong acid

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

nounCommon term

In chemistry, strong acid means: An acid that ionizes almost completely in water, releasing nearly all of its hydrogen ions. Hydrochloric, nitric and sulfuric acid are common examples.

In Turkish: kuvvetli asit, güçlü asit

How it is used

Contrasted with weak acids such as acetic acid, which ionize only partly. 'Strong' describes ionization, not concentration: you can have a dilute strong acid or a concentrated weak acid.

Example sentences

  1. A 0.01 M solution of a strong acid like HCl has a pH of 2.

  2. Titrating a strong acid with a strong base gives a sharp pH jump around 7.

Common collocations

  • strong acid
  • weak acid
  • strong base
  • strong acid–strong base titration
  • acidA substance that releases hydrogen ions (H⁺) in water or, more generally, donates protons. Its water solutions have a pH below 7 and turn blue litmus paper red.
  • pHA scale, usually from 0 to 14, that shows how acidic or basic a solution is. Below 7 is acidic, 7 is neutral at 25 °C and above 7 is basic; it equals −log[H⁺].
  • baseA substance that accepts protons (H⁺) or releases hydroxide ions (OH⁻) in water. Its solutions have a pH above 7 and turn red litmus paper blue.
  • titrationA method for finding the unknown concentration of a solution by adding a solution of known concentration from a burette until the reaction between them is just complete.
  • diluteTo make a solution weaker by adding more solvent, usually water. As an adjective, the word describes a solution with a low concentration.

More terms: Acids, Bases and Salts

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