Q11 of 74 Page 180

What is the basicity of H3PO4?

The basicity of a compound is defined as the number of acidic hydrogen atoms present in the compound. For a hydrogen atom to be acidic, it should be bonded to a strongly electronegative element like fluorine or oxygen atom. As shown in the figure, 3 hydrogen atoms (green circled) are attached to an oxygen atom, which makes them acidic. Hence, the basicity of H3PO4 is 3.



More from this chapter

All 74 →
38

Give the formula and describe the structure of a noble gas species which is isostructural with:

(i) ICl–4


(ii) IBr–2


(iii) BrO–3

 39

Why do noble gases have comparatively large atomic sizes?

 40

List the uses of neon and argon gases.

 12

What happens when H3PO3 is heated?