An acid can be either strong or weak, explain the difference between strong and weak acids.

The strength of an acid refers to the level of which it dissociates in an aqueous solution. Dissociation is a process in which molecules can split into smaller ones, atoms or ions. In the case of an acid, this happens with a H+ ion dissociating from the molecule, which determines the strength of an acid. The pH of an acid follows the equation: pH= -log10(H+) , and so the greater the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution, the smaller the pH value. This shows a strong acid has a high concentration of hydrogen ions, and so has a higher level of dissociation in an aqueous solution. A weak acid is one that hardly dissociates, and so the concentration of hydrogen ions is small.