Acids are special compounds that dissociate into ions when dissolved in water. Specifically, a hydrogen atom buggers off and leaves its electron behind, so you have a bunch of free floating protons (H^+ ions) and a bunch of other ions that are up an electron and down a Hydrogen (in the case of sulphuric acid, HSO4^- ). The larger ion is still a covalently bonded molecule, it’s just also an ion.
General rule of thumb – covalent molecules can be ions in ionic compounds, as the positive or negativeness is a property of the molecule as a whole rather than any one specific atom.
Oh and bonus fun fact: Water does this too! In any given amount of pure water, you’ve also got some H^+ ions and some OH^- ions, which are water molecules that have decided to just be friends.
Latest Answers