Question

_____________ present in the lemon juice acts as an electrolyte.
A.Sulphuric Acid
B.Nitric Acid
C.Hydrochloric Acid
D.Citric Acid

Answer 1

Hint: According to the definition by Lowry and Bronsted, an acid is defined as any substance that gives up hydrogen ion or proton as the only positive ion in an aqueous solution. Mostly ionic liquids can act as electrolytes.

Complete answer:
The acids that are found in naturally available substances and foods are generally organic acids. The organic acids are milder than the inorganic acids such as the sulphuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, etc. The most common examples of the naturally available organic acids are the tartaric acid found in the tamarind, formic acid in bee’s sting and ant’s bite, vitamin-C found in most of the citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, etc. The acids present in lemon juice are ascorbic acid or vitamin-C and the citric acids.

Thus, the correct answer is option D.

Note:
Any substance behaves as an electrolyte only when it has some ions or free electrons to transfer the charge or the electricity. Hence any solution that has ions can behave as the electrolyte. Mineral acids such as the inorganic acids mentioned above are all strong electrolytes as they all dissociate completely in their aqueous solutions. Weak acids such as the organic acids are weak electrolytes as they do not dissociate completely in solution. The salts of strong acids and strong bases are also strong electrolytes while the salts of weak acids and weak bases are poor conductors of electricity.