2/8/2019 Comparison of

Arrhenius &
Bronsted-Lowry
Concept and their
limitations
Assignment

Submitted by: Hafiz Muhammad Shahbaz

Roll no: CCR-CH-18-12
Submitted to: Prof. Asim
BS Chemistry: 1st semester
 Comparison of Arrhenius & Bronsted-Lowry Concept and their limitations

Acids and Base first recognized by their characteristics properties. Acids have a sour taste and
Bases are bitter. And it also changes the colour of certain dyes called Indicators. Such as litmus
and phenolphthalein.

Arrhenius Theory of Acid and Base:

In 1884, the Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius given the first successful concept of Acid and
Bases.
According to Arrhenius Theory:
Acids are substance which produce hydrogen ions in solutions. And Bases are the substances
which produce hydroxide ions in solution.
For Example: HCl is an acid because it produces H+ in aqueous solutions and NaOH is a base
because it produces OH- in aqueous solution.
HCl(aq) → H+(aq) + Cl-(aq)
NaOH(aq) → Na+ (aq) + OH-
Neutralization happens because hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions react to produce water.
For Example:
H+ (aq) + OH-(aq) → H2O

Bronsted lowery Theory of Acid and Base:

In 1923 Johannes N. Bronsted-Lowery independently proposed a more general definition of Acid
and Base.
According to Bronsted-Lowery Theory:
An acid is a proton (hydrogen ion) donor. And a Base is a proton (hydrogen ion) acceptor.

HCl(g) + H2O(l) → H3O(aq) + Cl- (aq)

Compare the relationships between Arrhenius definition and Bronsted-lowery

definition:
Consider the reaction of NH3 with H2O.
NH3(aq) + H2O ⇋ NH4+(aq) + OH- (aq)
Base Acid Acid Base
Comparison of Arrhenius and Bronsted-Lowery Concepts
Arrhenius Concept Bronsted Concept
Acids: are those species which produce Acids: are those species which donate proton.
hydrogen ions in aqueous solution.
Base: are those species which produces Base: are those species which accept proton.
hydroxyl ions in aqueous solution.
E.g. HCl(aq) → H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) E.g. HCl(g) + H2O(l) → H3O(aq) + Cl- (aq)

It’s does not give the concept of conjugate
acid base.
It does not explain the compounds like NH3
CaO. They are the base but do not contain OH
group.
Its dose not explains the reactions in gas
phase
Its gives the concept of conjugate acid and
base.
It explains the compounds like NH3 CaO.
They are the base because they accept proton.
Its explains the reactions in gas phase.

Limitations:
Arrhenius Concept
Arrhenius theory is known to be the most limited of the three theories since it requires the
solutions to be aqueous. It only applies to substances that produce Hydrogen ions (H+) or
hydroxide ions (OH−).
 An acid is expected to be an acid in any solvent. But that’s not the case nowadays. For
example, HCL acts as an Arrhenius acid when dissolved in water. However, when HCL
is dissolved in benzene there is no dissociation. This is against Arrhenius theory;
Arrhenius states that dissociation occurs in any aqueous solution. The properties of acid
and bases play a critical role.
 Arrhenius did not explain in his theory the behavior of acids and bases in a non-aqueous
solution for example, the dissociation of acetic acid in methanol it could be written as
CH3CO2H + CH3OH ⇄ CH3CO2− + CH3OH
 In Arrhenius theory all salts should produce solutions that are neither acidic nor basic.
But there are some exceptions against this theory. For example, if equal amounts of HCl
and ammonia react, the solution is slightly acidic. If equal amounts of acetic acid and
sodium hydroxide react, the resulting solution is basic. Arrhenius theory does not include
any explanation for this.
 The need for hydroxide as the base led Arrhenius to propose the formula NH4OH as the
formula for ammonia in water. This led to the misunderstanding that NH4OH is the
actual base. But the actual base is NH3.
 There are many acidic compounds, such as SO2 which do not contain hydrogen and
cannot be explained on the basis of Arrhenius concept.
Limitations of Bronsted Lowry Concept:
 The protonic definition cannot be used to explain the reactions occurring in non-protonic
solvents such as COCl2, SO2, N2O4, etc.
 It cannot explain the reactions between acidic oxides like etc. and the basic oxides like
etc. which take place even in the absence of the solvent e.g.,
 Substances like BF3, AlCl3 etc. do not have any hydrogen and hence cannot give a
proton but are known to behave as acids.