Which is the strongest acid listed in the table?

Hydrofluoric acid.

Explanation:

To know which of the acid is the strongest, let us determine the pka of each acid. This is illustrated below:

1. Acetic acid

Ka = 1.8x10^-5

pKa =..?

pKa = –logKa

pKa = –Log 1.8x10^-5

pKa = 4.74

2. Benzoic acid

Ka = 6.5x10^-5

pKa =..?

pKa = –logKa

pKa = –Log 6.5x10^-5

pKa = 4.18

3. Hydrofluoric acid.

Ka = 6.8x10^-4

pKa =..?

pKa = –logKa

pKa = –Log 6.8x10^-4

pKa = 3.17

4. Hypochlorous acid

Ka = 3.0x10^-8

pKa =..?

pKa = –logKa

pKa = –Log 3.0x10^-8

pKa = 7.52

Note: the smaller the pKa value, the stronger the acid.

The pka of the various acids as calculated above is given below:

Acid >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> pKa

1. Acetic acid >>>>>>>>>> 4.74

2. Benzoic acid >>>>>>>> 4.18

3. Hydrofluoric acid >>>> 3.17

4. Hypochlorous acid >> 7.52

From the above illustration, we can see that hydrofluoric acid has the lowest pKa value. Therefore, hydrofluoric acid is the strongest among them.