Question

Some acids are dangerous, other are not. Explain, giving examples.

Answer 1

Acids can be classified into mineral acids and organic acids.
Most of the mineral acids are strong and corrosive in nature. They are extremely dangerous to handle. Strong acids (highly concentrated due to less amount of water in them) can easily melt paper, wool, wood and cloth. If they come in contact with our skin, they cause severe burns to it (carbonic acid is an exception in this case). Since srong acids can corrode even metals like iron, aluminium, etc., they are stored in glass containers. Hence, we should be highly cautious while handling strong acids.

Examples: Hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulphuric acid, etc.

Organic acids are naturally occurring weak acids. They are non-corrosive in nature, and are safe to handle even in their concentrated state.

Examples: Acetic acid (present in vinegar), Lactic acid (present in milk), Citric acid (present in citrus fruits), etc.