Question

Question 1
Why do $\text{HCl}$, ${\text{HNO}}_3$, etc., show acidic character in aqueous solutions while solutions of compounds such as alcohol and glucose do not show acidic character?

Answer 1

When $\text{HCl}$ or ${\text{HNO}}_3$ is added to water, they dissociate into respective ions as shown below-

$\text{HCl (aq)}\to {\text{H}}^{+}+{\text{Cl}}^{-}\text{(aq)}$

${\text{H}}^{+}+{\text{H}}_2\text{O(l)}\to {\text{H}}_3{\text{O}}^{+}\text{(aq)}$

The concentration of ${\text{H}}^{+}\text{(aq)}$ or${\text{H}}_3{\text{O}}^{+}$ ions turns the solution acidic.
But, if alcohol and glucose are added to water, they do not dissociate. Hence, these do not show acidic character.