Acid base equilibria

Page 1

Acid and Base Equilibria

Let’s define acids and bases before we begin discussions about equilibria of weak acids and weak bases in aqueous media. Acids There are three definitions that can be used to define acids. These definitions can be used to identify acids as they relate to their structural formulas within three modalities. An acid can be described by the Arrhenius definition, or the Brønsted-Lowery definition, or the Lewis definition of acids. An Arrhenius acid is a substance that dissociates in aqueous media to produce hydronium ions, H3O+. Hydronium ions are water molecules that form a coordinate covalent bond (sometimes referred to as a dative bond) with a hydrogen ion. You can also referred to a hydronium ion as a protonated water molecule. Following is an illustration of the formation of a hydronium ion from a strong acid, i.e., an acid that can be 100% dissociated. HCl (aq) + H2O (l)

H

H .. + O ..

+

-

Cl

H

A Brønsted-Lowery acid is a substance that donates protons. The following example illustrates how a substance can donate a proton:

1


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.