Final answer:
A monoprotic acid has one ionizable proton, while a polyprotic acid has two or more. Hydrochloric acid is monoprotic, sulfuric acid is diprotic.
Step-by-step explanation:
An acid that has only one ionizable proton is termed monoprotic, whereas an acid with two or more ionizable protons is termed polyprotic.
Monoprotic acids, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl) and acetic acid (CH3COOH), can donate a single proton in their reaction with water.
On the other hand, polyprotic acids contain multiple ionizable hydrogen atoms per molecule and can release protons sequentially.
For example, sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) is a diprotic acid because it has two ionizable hydrogens and ionizes in two steps, with the first ionization occurring to a greater extent than the second.