Acid (and Base) Strength

 The strength of an acid can be determined in a few ways:

1. pH
2. rate of reaction
3. conductivity

These are all linked to the same thing - the extent of dissociation.

Strong Acids

Strong acids fully dissociate. This means they completely break apart into their ions (the conjugate base and hydronium). Therefore, they have a high concentration of hydronium ions. With a higher concentration of hydronium ions, they:

1. have a lower pH
2. have more hydronium ions per unit volume to react
3. have a higher concentration of ions to carry a charge

Weak Acids

Weak acids only partially dissociate. They still produce hydronium ions, but there are still "unreacted" acid molecules/particles so the concentration of hydronium ions is lower than for a strong acid. This means they:

1. have a higher pH (but still <7)
2. have fewer hydronium ions per unit volume (than strong acids) to react
3. have a lower concentration of ions to carry a charge