Question

“All acids contain one or more hydrogen atoms, but not all substances containing hydrogen are acids.” Support this statement with examples.

Answer 1

HCl (hydrochloric acid), H₂SO₄ (sulphuric acid) and HNO₃ (Nitric acid) are all examples of inorganic acids. They all have the hydrogen atom in common. Most acids essentially contain one or more hydrogen atoms. Whereas water (H₂O) also contains hydrogen, but it is not an acid. Similarly molecule of methane and ammonia also contain hydrogen, but all these do not produce H ions in aqueous solutions. Therefore it can be said that “all acids contain hydrogen, but all substances containing hydrogen are not acids.”