ACID-BASE REACTIONS

Page 114- 127, 614-619

ACIDS
Acids are substances that ionize
in aqueous solutions to form
hydrogen ions, thereby
increasing the concentration of
H+ ions.
Because hydrogen atom consists
of a proton and an electron, H+ is
simply a proton.
Thus, acids are often called
proton donors.
Molecules of different acids can
ionize to form different numbers of
H+ ions.
Both hydrochloric acid and nitric
acid are monoprotic acids, which
yield one per molecule of acid.
Sulfuric acid is a diprotic acid, one
that yields two H+ per molecule of
BASES
Bases are substances that accept
H+ ions.
Bases produce hydroxide ions
when they dissolve in water.
When dissolved in water, they
dissociate into their component
ions, introducing OH- ions into the
 COMMON PROPERTIES OF
ACIDS AND BASES:
ACID BASE

Sour taste Bitter taste

Neutralizes bases Neutralizes acids

Turns litmus paper blue to red Turns litmus paper red to blue

Soapy and slippery feeling

 Indicator Color in pH at which Color in
strongly color changes strongly
acidic alkaline
solution solution

Methyl Red 4 Yellow

orange
Litmus Red 7 Blue
Phenolphthal Colorless 9 Red
ein
Screened Red 4 Green
Methyl
Orange
 STRONG AND WEAK ACIDS
AND BASES
Acids and bases that are strong
electrolytes (completely ionized in
solution) are called strong acids and
strong bases.
Those that are weak electrolytes
(partly ionized) are called weak
acids and weak bases.
 COMMON STRONG ACIDS
AND BASES

STRONG ACIDS STRONG BASES

Hydrochloric acid Lithium hydroxide
Hydrobromic acid Sodium hydroxide
Hydroiodic acid Potassium hydroxide
Chloric acid Rubidium hydroxide
Perchloric acid Cesium hydroxide
Nitric acid Calcium hydroxide
Sulfuric acid Strontium hydroxide
Barium hydroxide
 IDENTIFYING STRONG AND
WEAK ELECTROLYTES

 To classify a soluble substance as a

strong electrolyte, weak electrolyte, or
nonelectrolyte, we simply use the
following table:
 SUMMARY OF THE ELECTROLYTIC
BEHAVIOR OF A COMMON SOLUBLE
IONIC AND MOLECULAR COMPOUNDS

Strong Weak Nonelectroly

Electrolyte Electrolyte te
Ionic All None None

Molecular Strong acids Weak acids

Weak bases All other

compounds

 Ifan acid is not listed, it is probably a weak

electrolyte.
 NH3 is only a weak base that we consider.
 NEUTRALIZATION
REACTIONS AND SALTS
When a solution of an acid and
that of a base are mixed, a
neutralization reaction
occurs.
The products of the reaction
have none of the characteristics
properties of either the acidic and
HCl + NaOH H2 O +
NaCl
(acid) (base) (water)
(salt)
By analogy to this reaction, the
term salt has come to mean any
ionic compound whose cation
comes from a base and whose
anion comes from an acid.
A neutralization reaction between
an acid and a metal hydroxide
 ACID-BASE THEORIES
1. Arrhenius Acids and Bases
2. Bronsted-Lowry Acids and Bases
3. Lewis Acids and Bases
ARRHENIUS ACIDS AND
BASES
 Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius (1859-
1927) proposed a revolutionary way of
defining and thinking about acids and bases.

 He said that acids are hydrogen-containing

compounds that ionize to yield hydrogen
ions (H+) in aqueous solutions.
 He also said that bases are compounds that
ionize to yield hydroxide ions (OH-) in
 Acids that contain one ionizable hydrogen,
such as nitric acid, are called monoprotic
acids.
 Acids that contain two ionizable hydrogens,
such as sulfuric acid, are called diprotic
acids.
 Acids that contain three ionizable hydrogens,
such as phosphoric acid, are called triprotic
acids.
BRONSTED-LOWRY ACIDS
AND BASES
 In 1923, the Danish chemist Johannes
Bronsted and the English chemist Thomas
Lowry independently proposed a new
definition.
 Defines an acid as a hydrogen-ion donor.
 Defines a base as a hydrogen-ion
acceptor.
A conjugate base is the particle that
remains when an acid has donated a
hydrogen ion.
A conjugate base is the particle that
remains when an acid has donated a
hydrogen ion.
 Conjugate acids and bases are always paired
with a base or an acid, respectively.
A conjugate acid-base pair consists of two
LEWIS ACIDS AND BASES
 The third theory of acids and bases was
proposed by Gilbert Lewis.
 Lewis focused on the donation or acceptance
of a pair of electrons during a reaction.
 This concept is more general than either the
Arrhenius theory or the Bronsted-Lowry
theory.
A Lewis acid is a substance that can accept
a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond.
A Lewis base is a substance that can
donate a pair of electrons to form a covalent
bond.
A hydrogen ion (Bronsted-Lowry acid) can
accept apair of electrons in forming a bond.
A hydrogen ion, therefore, is also a Lewis
acid.
A Bronsted-Lowry base, or a substance that
accepts a hydrogen ion, must have a pair of
 pH Concept
A widely used system for expressing [H+] is
the pH scale, proposed in 1909 by the
Danish scientist Soren Sorenson.
 It ranges from 0-14, neutral solutions have a
pH of 7.
A pH of 10 is strongly basic.
 The pH of a solution is the negative
logarithm of the hydrogen-ion concentration.
The pH may be represented
mathematically using the
following equation:
pH = - log [H+]
Similarly, the pOH of a solution
equals the negative logarithm of
the hydroxide-ion concentration.
pOH = - log [OH-]
A neutral solution has a pOH of 7.
A solution with a pOH less than 7 is basic.
A solution with a pOH greater than 7 is
acidic.
A simple relationship between pH and pOH
makes it easy to find either one when the
other is known.

pH + pOH = 14

pH = 14 – pOH
 pH
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14

NEUTRAL
Increasing Acidity Increasing Basicity

10-1 10-2 10-3 10-4 10-5 10-6 10-7 10-8 10-9 10-10 10-1110-12 10-
13
10-14

[H ] +
PRACTICE EXERCISE:
What is the pH of a solution with
a hydrogen-ion concentration of
1.0 x 10-10 M?
Find the pH of each solution:
◦ [H+] = 1.0 x 10 -4 M
◦ [H+] = 0.0010 M
◦ [H+] = 1.0 x 10 -9 M
◦ [H+] = 1.0 x 10 -12 M
◦ [H+] = 0.010 M