17. Textbook questions VI

1. Why do acids not show acidic behaviour in the absence of water?

2. Equal lengths of magnesium ribbons are taken in test tubes A and B. Hydrochloric acid $HCl$ is added to test tube A, while acetic acid $CH_3COOH$ is added to test tube B. In which test tube will the fizzing occur more vigorously and why?

 

$HCl$ is a weak acidstrong acid. In contrast, acetic acid $CH_3COOH$ is a strong acidweak acid, so the dissociation of ions takes place faster in strong acidweak acid, which releases carbon dioxide gashydrogen gasoxygen gasnitrogen gasimmediately, causing the fizzing to be more vigorous.