The dissociation constants of formic and acetic acids are and , respectively — Ionic Equilibrium Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

The relative strength of two weak acids at equal concentration is the ratio of their degrees of dissociation, which is proportional to the square root of their dissociation constants: $\text{Relative Strength} = \sqrt{\frac{K_{a1}}{K_{a2}}} = \sqrt{\frac{1.77 \times 10^{-4}}{1.75 \times 10^{-5}}} = \sqrt{10.11} \approx 3.18$. Thus, formic acid is 3.18 times stronger.