Acids play an important part in chemistry. There is good and harmful acid available in the industry. Some of them are used to store food items as well. Depending upon the food using the acids will be used. Organic acid and Inorganic acid are both important acids that deal with chemistry. These are taught to students from lower-class levels so that they can get a clear understanding of them.
Organic Acid vs Inorganic Acid
The main difference between Organic Acid and Inorganic Acid is that in Organic acid, all the acids will be weak, and they won’t cause any harm to the human body much. But Inorganic acids are strong acids, and they cause a lot of harm to the human body. Organic acids can be easily dissolved in water. Inorganic acids cannot be easily dissolved in water.
Organic acids are acids that are used in food items, and these acids are considered weaker ones and not powerful ones as they are used almost everywhere in human life. But there is one strong organic acid available as well, which is known as fluorantimonic acid. This is considered to be very strong than sulphuric acid, which is considered to be the dangerous acid in the chemical industry.
Inorganic acid is a powerful acid in the acid types. They are mostly whenever they are added to something. It has another name called strong acids. They are not originated or derived from any other acids. They contain carbon atoms in their acidic properties. They are mainly called with the name of mineral acids.
Comparison Table Between Organic Acid and Inorganic Acid
| Parameters of Comparison | Organic Acid | Inorganic Acid |
| Acidic Properties | Contains organic acidic properties | Contains inorganic acidic properties |
| Example | Lactic Acid, Acetic Acid, and Formic Acid | Sulphuric Acid, Hydrochloric Acid, and Nitric Acid |
| Acid Type | Weak | Strong |
| Solubility | Organic solvents | Inorganic Solvents |
| Carbon Atoms | Yes | No |
What is Organic Acid?
The organic acid is an acid property that comes under chemistry. It comes with an organic compound. This particular type of acid contains weak properties. When we mix this kind of acid in the water, it won’t be completely get dissolved in the water. The acids that come under Organic acids are lactic acid, acetic acid, and formic acid. Foods that contain these acids will come under organic acid.
A simple example to explain this is with the help of milk. When you mix milk in water, it won’t get dissolved; instead, the water will be dissolved in the milk. In this process, the milk contains lactic acid, so it is one of the organic acids. Water in this process does not contain any acid, so that it got mixed with milk. Some organic acids are even used as preservatives in foods. This is because they will help in maintaining the food for a long amount of time.
One of the best examples of food preservation in acid is a pickle. Pickles are preserved with a good amount of acid so that they will be fresh for a long duration of time. These acids come under chemistry. To deal with and study acids, one should take the science stream in class 11. The most commonly used organic acid in food items is vinegar. It is used to store food items, and it will give flavor to the food as well.
What is Inorganic Acid?
Inorganic acid is an acid that comes under chemicals. These acids are even called mineral acids. These acids do not have carbon in-built in them, and they will be incorporated from inorganic acids. These acids are sometimes incorporated from more than 2 inorganic compounds. They might contain oxygen in their compound, but it depends upon the type of inorganic compound that is derived.
Some of the commonly known inorganic acids are sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and nitric acid. These inorganic acids are sometimes very powerful, and at times they can be weak as well. But most inorganic acid that comes under chemistry is considered to be strong. They are mostly used as catalysts which are performed under chemical reactions. Since they are very strong, they cannot be used in normal day-to-day activities.
Mostly inorganic acids are always dissolved in water. When dissolved, they produce, they used to become very corrosive. They have strong acidic properties. One of the best examples and the easier way to explain inorganic acid is water. Because when we add water to any of the compounds, it will be easily dissolved. This acid property comes under chemistry. It will be dealt with more practice in higher studies.
Main Differences Between Organic Acid and Inorganic Acid
- Organic acids are considered to be very weak acids, and they cannot be solved in water. On the other hand, inorganic acids are considered to be very powerful, and they can be solved in water easily.
- Organic acids are always soluble only inorganic compounds. Likewise, inorganic acids are soluble only in inorganic compounds.
- Organic acids have an origin biologically. But on the other hand, inorganic acids do not have any biological origin.
- Organic acids are considered to have carbon atoms which are called carbon skeletons. On the other hand, inorganic acids do not have any carbon skeletons.
- Organic acids are highly helpful and help in removing dust from the material. But inorganic acids do not remove dust from the material.
Conclusion
Both organic acid and inorganic acid are acids that come under chemicals. They are weak and powerful acids. Depending upon the type of work and usage, the acids will be used. Organic acids are weak, so they are even used in food items, but that is not the case with inorganic acids. They are strong and should not be used normally like inorganic acid.
Organic acids can be found in normal food items. The acids can be easily identified with the help of solving nature. It can be found by which item they are solving and in which they are not.
References
- https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2136/sssaj2003.6540
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196890418309257