Why?

Why is formic acid stronger than acetic acid?

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2305
Shaswata Roy ·

HCOOH \implies HCOO-+H+...(1)
CH3COOH \implies CH3COO-+H+....(2)

The +I effect of CH3 is more than that of H.
We know that +I effect destabilizes an anion.

Hence CH3COO- is less stable than HCOO- an readily undergoes the backward reaction.

Therefore the forward reaction involved in the dissociation of formic acid is more than that of acetic acid \impliesmore H+ ions are released in the 1st reaction making formic acid more acidic.

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