What is the basicity of H3PO4?

The basicity of a compound is defined as the number of acidic hydrogen atoms present in the compound. For a hydrogen atom to be acidic, it should be bonded to a strongly electronegative element like fluorine or oxygen atom. As shown in the figure, 3 hydrogen atoms (green circled) are attached to an oxygen atom, which makes them acidic. Hence, the basicity of H3PO4 is 3.



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