Chemistry Carboxylic Acids DUHS 2024
PMDC Verified Question 14 of 94
The carboxylic acid is stronger than:
(Note: This question refers to acidic strength compared to other given substances, despite flawed original phrasing).
A
\( \text{PCl}_5 \)
B
\( \text{HNO}_3 \)
C
\( \text{H}_2\text{SO}_4 \)
D
\( \text{HCl} \)
Tap any option to test your recall and reveal the step-by-step Propolis autopsy.

Propolis Cognitive Error Autopsy

Official Correct Choice:
Option A: \( \text{PCl}_5 \)
Concept:

Carboxylic acids are weak organic acids. They are completely outclassed in proton-donating ability by strong inorganic mineral acids.

Solution:

  • \( \text{HNO}_3 \), \( \text{H}_2\text{SO}_4 \), and \( \text{HCl} \) are all strong mineral acids that ionize completely in water. Carboxylic acids are decidedly weaker than all of these.


  • \( \text{PCl}_5 \) is not a Brønsted-Lowry acid at all (it is an electrophilic chlorinating agent).


  • By elimination, carboxylic acid possesses more acidic character (proton donation) than a non-acid like \( \text{PCl}_5 \).


Why other options are incorrect:

Options B, C, and D are classical strong mineral acids with negative pKa values, far stronger than any typical carboxylic acid.

Quality & Fidelity Assurance: Every question on BeambePrep is rigorously curated against the official PMDC syllabus with zero filler, zero out-of-syllabus content, and zero typos. When an authentic past paper originally contained a historical mistake or ambiguity from the examining board (such as UHS or NUMS), BeambePrep faithfully reflects the original paper while detailing the nuance and scientific consensus in the autopsy above.

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