Science (086) — AI-generated practice question

An acid must ionize in water to produce H⁺ (aq) ions (hydronium ions, H₃O⁺). Although glucose and alcohol contain hydrogen, they do not ionize in water and therefore do not release H⁺ ions. As a result, their solutions do not conduct electricity (the bulb does not glow in the conductivity test), whereas acids like HCl dissociate completely to give H⁺ and Cl⁻ ions, which carry the electric current and are responsible for acidic properties.

$$\text{HCl} + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightarrow \text{H}_3\text{O}^+ + \text{Cl}^-$$

Source: Chapter 2, Section 2.2

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• The examiner wants the key idea: ionization in water to give H⁺(aq)/H₃O⁺ ions — that's the defining property of an acid.
• Mention the conductivity test evidence (Activity 2.8) to show you understand the experimental basis.
• Include the dissociation equation for full marks.
• Avoid writing that glucose/alcohol "have no hydrogen" — they do; they just don't release H⁺ in solution.