Question:medium

Which acid is the strongest: HF, HCl, HBr, HI?

Show Hint

In binary acids of the form HX, acid strength increases as the halogen size increases, with HF being the weakest and HI the strongest.
  • HF
  • HCl
  • HBr
  • HI
Show Solution

The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Acid strength in this series tracks bond weakness rather than electronegativity: even though fluorine is the most electronegative halogen, the H-F bond is so short and strong that it barely lets go of its proton, making HF the weakest of the four. Moving down the group to chlorine, bromine, and iodine, the halogen atom gets bigger and the H-X bond gets progressively weaker and longer, so the proton comes off more easily. Iodine's bond is the weakest of all, making HI the strongest acid, option (D).
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