Final answer:
An acid is a substance that releases H⁺ ions in water, making it an electrolyte. There are strong acids, which ionize completely, and weak acids, which only partially ionize. This concept is essential in understanding the chemical behavior of acids in solutions.
Step-by-step explanation:
A substance that ionizes to produce H⁺ ions when dissolved in water is called an acid. When acids dissolve in water, they undergo a chemical reaction that releases hydrogen ions (H⁺) into the solution. These hydrogen ions are responsible for the characteristic properties of acids, such as the ability to conduct electricity in an aqueous solution, which categorizes them as electrolytes. There are two types of acids based on their ability to ionize in water: strong acids, which ionize completely, and weak acids, which only partially ionize. An example of a strong acid is hydrochloric acid (HCl), which dissociates completely in water to form H⁺ and Cl⁻ ions. A substance such as acetic acid (CH₃COOH), on the other hand, is a weak acid as it only partially ionizes in solution. Understanding the behavior of acids in solution is fundamental in chemistry and has numerous applications across various fields.