Why is citric acid so sour despite it being apparently a weak acid?
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Think about if you had a very neat and sorted toy chest. Everything is in place, and everything is organized.
Now, your mom decided to have a play date with that bratty kid down the street, Jeffrey. She invites him over and he brings his toys. Unfortunately, out of his hundred toys, he has 20 of the same toy. Let’s say it’s a Stretch Armstrong. and he doesn’t like that toy very much.
Stretch Armstrong is a *hydrogen ion*. When Jeffrey sees toys that interest him, he takes them from your toy chest and throws his boring Stretch Armstrong away, scattering them throughout your room.
That’s what happens when an acid comes into contact with something it reacts to. Since Jeffrey has a lot of stretch armstrongs, he’s going to take a lot of stuff and in the process he’ll be losing his stretch armstrongs.
Those stretch armstrongs, aka hydrogen ions, make the “sour” feeling in your mouth, aka your room.
Now let’s say your mom invites a nicer kid over, say their name is Lucy. Lucy has one Stretch Armstrong, and trades it to you for a furby. Lucy doesn’t have a lot of hydrogen ions to lose. Lucy is a weaker acid, say the acidic acid in a cucumber. Cucumbers are acidic, but only mildly so.
Now your mom invites a deranged maniac named Billy over. He has a million stretch armstrongs, and after he’s emptied out your toy chest he starts taking everything else in your room. Your bed, your lamp, your walls, your house, even your mom. You’re left with nothing but a pile of Stretch Armstrongs. Billy is a strong acid, and your house is your face after you decided to drink hydrochloric acid.
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