Which of the following compounds is considered the strongest acid in water?

The strongest acid in water among the provided compounds is sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄). When considering the strength of acids in aqueous solutions, one must look at their degree of ionization and the stability of their conjugate bases.

Sulfuric acid is a strong acid and is known to be fully ionized in solution, meaning it dissociates completely into H⁺ ions and HSO₄⁻ ions. This complete dissociation results in a higher concentration of hydrogen ions compared to the other acids listed, effectively making it the strongest in terms of acidity in aqueous environments.

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is also a strong acid, fully dissociating in water into H⁺ and Cl⁻ ions, but it does not surpass the acidity of sulfuric acid. Perchloric acid (HClO) is a weaker acid that does not ionize completely, and hydrofluoric acid (HF) is known to be a weak acid because it does not dissociate significantly in water, primarily due to the strong hydrogen-fluorine bond. Thus, it has a much lower concentration of hydrogen ions when dissolved.

In summary, sulfuric acid is recognized for its strong acidity in water due to its