The key difference between acidic radical and basic radical is that the acidic radicals are negatively charged chemical species whereas the basic radicals are positively charged chemical species.
Inorganic salts consist of two components as an acidic portion and basic portion. It is because of the salt forms as a result of the reaction between an acid and a base. Therefore, if we divide salt into two parts by dissolving it in water, it forms an acidic radical and a basic radical. Thus, we call this dividing as dissociation. These radicals make these salts as strong electrolytes.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Acidic Radical
3. What is Basic Radical
4. Side by Side Comparison – Acidic Radical vs Basic Radical in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Acidic Radical?
Acidic radical is an ion coming from an acid. It is a negatively-charged chemical species; thus we name it as an anion. Furthermore, it is a portion of an inorganic salt. This ion forms as a result of the removal of a hydrogen ion from an acid.
Figure 01: Formation of Acid Radical from HCl
Sometimes, we define this term as a radical formed by removal of all hydroxyl or analogous groups (as mercapto) from an acid. Some examples are as follows:
What is Basic Radical?
Basic radical is an ion coming from a base. It is a positively charged chemical species; thus we name it as the cation. Moreover, it is a portion of an inorganic salt. This ion forms as a result of the removal of a hydroxide ion from a base. Some examples are as follows:
What is the Difference Between Acidic Radical and Basic Radical?
Acidic radical is an ion coming from an acid. On the contrary, basic radical is an ion coming from a base. Furthermore, the acidic radicals are negatively-charged chemical species whereas the basic radicals are positively-charged chemical species. Due to these electrical charges, we call acidic radicals as anions and basic radicals as cations. The below infographic presents more details on the difference between acidic radical and basic radical.
Summary – Acidic Radical vs Basic Radical
Acidic radicals and basic radicals together form a salt. The key difference between acidic radical and basic radical is that the acidic radicals are negatively-charged chemical species whereas the basic radicals are positively-charged chemical species.