Acetic Acid, Shown Below, Has 4 Hydrogen Atoms-One Bonded to an Oxygen

Multiple Choice

Acetic acid, shown below, has 4 hydrogen atoms-one bonded to an oxygen and three bonded to a carbon. When this molecule behaves as an acid, it donates only the hydrogen bonded to the oxygen. The hydrogens bonded to the carbon remain intact. Why?

A) The oxygen is much better at accommodating a negative charge than is carbon.
B) The hydrogen attached to the oxygen extends farther away from the center of the molecule.
C) The carbon is bonded to three hydrogens while the oxygen is bonded to only one hydrogen.
D) The oxygen within acetic acid has two lone pairs of electrons that help to destabilize the oxygen-hydrogen bond.