First because the later ones are trying to take more H plus ions from an already negative ion, which is harder.
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The largest ionization constant for phosphoric acid is typically considered to be Ka1, which corresponds to the first ionization step where one hydrogen ion is released from phosphoric acid. Ka1 for phosphoric acid is approximately 7.5 x 10^-3.
The second ionization reaction of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) with water is: H2PO4- (aq) + H2O (l) ⇌ H3O+ (aq) + HPO4^2- (aq)
The unit of acid ionization constant is dimensionless because it is a ratio of the concentration of products to reactants in a chemical equilibrium expression. It is denoted by a lowercase "k" (ka) for weak acids and is used to quantify the extent to which an acid dissociates in water.
Phosphoric acid is considered a weak acid. While it can donate multiple protons (H+ ions), its dissociation in water is not complete, resulting in a lower degree of ionization compared to strong acids like hydrochloric acid.
The ionization constant for an acid is indicated by its acid dissociation constant, Ka. This constant represents the degree to which the acid dissociates into its ions in a solution. A higher Ka value indicates a stronger acid, while a lower Ka value indicates a weaker acid.
phosphoric acid