ACIDS AND BASES- Definitions/main concepts

Theory of acids and bases:

Brønsted-Lowry acids and bases:
● All acids contain at least one hydrogen atom
● In the simplest de nition of acids and bases, an acid is defined as a substance that produces
hydrogen ions in solution, and a base is a substance that produces hydroxide ions in solution
● The Brønsted–Lowry definition is: an acid is a proton (H+) donor, a base/alkali is a proton
(H+) acceptor
● Conjugate acid–base pairs always differ by one proton (H+)
● Amphiprotic: a species that can donate (acting as an acid) or accept (acting as a base) a proton
(Water)
● Amphoteric: to a substance that can act as an acid and a base
● All amphiprotic substances are also amphoteric but not all amphoteric substances are
amphiprotic (hydroxides of zinc and aluminium)
Properties of acids and bases:
Reactions of acids and bases:
● metal (s)+acid (aq) → salt (aq)+hydrogen (g)
● Unreactive metals do not react with dilute acids -Cu-
● acid (aq)+carbonate/hydrogen carbonate (aq) → salt (aq)+carbon dioxide (g)+water (l)
● base (s)+acid (aq) → salt (aq)+water (l)
● Alkalis are solutions obtained when a metal hydroxide (such as sodium hydroxide) dissolves
in water or when certain bases react with water
● alkali (aq)+acid (aq) → salt (aq)+water (l)
● Neutralisation reactions are exothermic and produce a salt and water only.
● Reactions between acids and bases or acids and alkalis are called neutralisation reactions
● Neutralisation reactions involve the H+ ions from the acid reacting with the OH− ions from
the alkali to form the neutral substance water
The pH scale:
Reactions of acids and bases:
● Indicators act as chemical detectors, giving information about a change in the environment.
The most widely used in chemistry are acid–base indicators that change colour reversibly
according to the concentration of H+ ions in the solution
● The pH scale can be used to indicate whether a solution is acidic, alkaline or neutral
● The pH of a solution can be determined by using
a pH meter or by using universal indicator
solution or paper
● pH is a measure of the concentration of H+(aq)
ions in a solution.The concentration of H+ ions can be stated in mol dm−3
● pH is the negative logarithm to base 10 of the hydrogen ion concentration in an aqueous
solution: pH = −log10[H+(aq)]
● Because pH is a log scale (to base 10), a 1 unit change in pH indicates a tenfold change in the
H+ ion concentration
Disassociation of water:
● H 2 O(l) ⇌H + (aq) + OH − (aq)
● Equilibrium constant: Kw = [H+(aq)][OH−(aq)]
● Kw is called the ionic product constant (ionic product) for water.
● Kw has a value of 1.0×10−14 at 298K
● Kw refers to the H 2 O(l) ⇌H + (aq) + OH − (aq) equilibrium in all aqueous solutions – the
product of the H+ and OH− concentrations in any aqueous solution at 298K is 1.0×10−14.
● A solution is: neutral if [ H + (aq)]=[ OH − (aq)] • acidic if [ H + (aq)] > [ OH − (aq)] • alkaline if [
OH − (aq)] > [ H + (aq)]
● The concentrations of H+ and OH− are inversely proportional in an aqueous solution.

Strong acids and bases:

Strong and weak acids:
● When an acid (HA) reacts with water it dissociates, or ionises
● Strong acids such as hydrochloric (HCl), sulfuric (H2SO4) and nitric (HNO3) acid dissociate
completely in aqueous solution
● Monoprotic acid – dissociate to form one proton per molecule
● Diprotic acid – dissociate to form two protons per molecule
 ● Weak acids dissociate only partially in aqueous solution (equilibrium arrows are used as the
reaction does not go to completion)
● Examples of weak acids are carbonic acid (H2CO3) and carboxylic acids such as ethanoic
acid (CH3COOH)
Strong and weak bases:
● When a base reacts with water, it accepts a proton from the water and ionises
● Strong bases ionize completely in aqueous solution.
● Weak bases ionize only partially in aqueous solution
Strength of a acid and of its conjugate:
● The stronger an acid, the weaker its conjugate base
● The stronger a base, the weaker its conjugate acid
● A strong acid is a good proton donor that ionises completely in aqueous solution – it has a
weak conjugate base.
● A strong base is a good proton acceptor that ionises completely in aqueous solution – it has a
weak conjugate acid.
● Electrical conductivity of a solution depends on the concentration of mobile ions. Strong acids
and strong bases show higher conductivity than weak acids and bases
● Strong acids have a lower pH than weak acid (pH is a measure of the concentration of H+ ions
in solution – the lower the pH, the higher the concentration of H+ ions)
● Strong acids react more violently with metals or carbonates
● The strength of an acid refers to how much it dissociates in aqueous solution.
● Titration using an indicator cannot be used to distinguish between a weak and a strong acid –
if they have the same concentration they will have the same endpoint (react with the same
number of moles of alkali).
● pH can be used to compare acid strength only if equal concentrations of acids are being
compared

ACIDS AND BASES- Equations/formulae

The pH scale:
● pH = −log[H+(aq)]
● [H+(aq)] = 10^−pH
● [H + ] = Kw
[OH − ]

● [OH − ] = Kw
[H + ]