Here's why:
* Structure: The structure of phosphorus acid has two hydrogen atoms directly attached to the phosphorus atom, and one hydrogen atom attached to an oxygen atom.
* Acidic Hydrogens: The two hydrogen atoms attached to the phosphorus atom are the acidic ones. They are readily released as protons (H⁺) in solution.
* Non-acidic Hydrogen: The hydrogen atom attached to the oxygen atom is not acidic.
Therefore, the basicity of phosphorus acid is 2.