Why isn't HFO3 a strong acid?

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Incis0r

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So it's well known that HCl, HBr, HI, HNO3, HClO3, HClO4, and H2SO4 are the main strong acids to know.

Chad's videos describes oxoacid trends as follows:
1. Higher number of O= more acidic.
2. More electronegative heteroatom = more acidic.

So why isn't HFO3 a strong acid? It has the same amount of oxygen atoms as HClO3, and Fluorine is more electronegative than Chlorine. So shouldn't it be stronger of an acid than HClO3?

What's the missing piece?

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So it's well known that HCl, HBr, HI, HNO3, HClO3, HClO4, and H2SO4 are the main strong acids to know.

Chad's videos describes oxoacid trends as follows:
1. Higher number of O= more acidic.
2. More electronegative heteroatom = more acidic.

So why isn't HFO3 a strong acid? It has the same amount of oxygen atoms as HClO3, and Fluorine is more electronegative than Chlorine. So shouldn't it be stronger of an acid than HClO3?

What's the missing piece?

Incis0r

This acid is one of the MOST acidic commercially available acids on Planet Earth !!!!!!!!

It has a pKa of around -10. It can dissolve almost all organic compounds !

We normally do not use this acid in labs,,,,,,thus we don't include it with the other strong acids. However,,,,,,,Great call.....although rarely used in labs,,,,,this stuff is POWERFUL !!!!!!!!! Can we get stronger ? LOL....yes.....there is something called Magic Acid studied extensively by Nobel Scholar George Olah.....the Father of Carbocation Chemistry. Dr. Olah used magic acid.....FHSO3H-SbF5-SO2 to study carbocations. Carbocations can last a long time in this acid,,,,since no nucleophile is around to attack it.

I have actually met Dr. Olah on many occasions 20 years ago.....one of the nicest and humblest scholars on this planet.

Awesome question !!!!

Dr. Romano
 
Incis0r

This acid is one of the MOST acidic commercially available acids on Planet Earth !!!!!!!!

It has a pKa of around -10. It can dissolve almost all organic compounds !

We normally do not use this acid in labs,,,,,,thus we don't include it with the other strong acids. However,,,,,,,Great call.....although rarely used in labs,,,,,this stuff is POWERFUL !!!!!!!!! Can we get stronger ? LOL....yes.....there is something called Magic Acid studied extensively by Nobel Scholar George Olah.....the Father of Carbocation Chemistry. Dr. Olah used magic acid.....FHSO3H-SbF5-SO2 to study carbocations. Carbocations can last a long time in this acid,,,,since no nucleophile is around to attack it.

I have actually met Dr. Olah on many occasions 20 years ago.....one of the nicest and humblest scholars on this planet.

Awesome question !!!!

Dr. Romano

Thank you so much, Dr. Romano!
That's amazing- I never knew such a substance (like Magic Acid) even existed.

I really like how you shared that fact, and your enthusiasm- I see now why everyone calls you such a great teacher!!
 
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I don't believe HFO3 is possible?

if H is +1
O will be -6
then F is forced to be +5 but that's not feasible.

orgoman22 should be here soon with a better answer lol

Thank you for trying to help though- you brought up an interesting point with oxidation states. I was initially going along those same lines, but then I thought....F, Cl, Br, I are all in the same group so they have nearly identical chemical behavior, so it wouldn't make sense to me why Cl could be +5 but not F.

I appreciate the input!
 
Thank you so much, Dr. Romano!
That's amazing- I never knew such a substance (like Magic Acid) even existed.

I really like how you shared that fact, and your enthusiasm- I see now why everyone calls you such a great teacher!!

THE SDN community are like my students,,,,always love to help.
 
I know this is going to sound random, but why can't francium (alkali metal/reactive) be found and put to water? if so, how big will the explosive be?

My My !!! Poor Francium.....loved by almost none ! I am glad you asked. Francium is very rare,,,,,none has even been seen ! There is less than 30 grams of this element at one time on Earth....Even if you had 10 grams 75% or so would be gone in half an hour !!!!

Francium is so rare.....that it is produced in some nuclear decay reactions.
In theory.....yes it would react with water!!

The explosion would not be big....LOL......there would not be enough of it !!!! Astatine ....the lonely unknown halogen has a very similar existence as Francium. Great question.

Dr. Romano
 
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