Question 1 Report
The term basicity of an acid refers to the number of hydrogen ions (H⁺) that an acid can donate when it dissociates in water. In simpler terms, it's the number of replaceable hydrogen ions in one molecule of the acid.
Tetraoxophosphate(V) acid is another name for phosphoric acid, which has the chemical formula H₃PO₄. In this molecule, there are three hydrogen (H) atoms bonded to the phosphate group (PO₄).
When H₃PO₄ dissolves in water, it donates hydrogen ions in three steps:
Therefore, phosphoric acid, or tetraoxophosphate(V) acid, can donate a total of three hydrogen ions. Hence, the basicity of tetraoxophosphate(V) acid is 3.
Everything you need to excel in your exams