[CHM111] [ACIDS & BASES, REPRESENTATIVE ELEMENTS]

ACIDS & BASES

Definitions

Acids Bases Notes

Arrhenius form form assuming
hydronium hydroxide that water
ions ions is the
solvent
Bronsted proton proton concept of
and donors acceptors conjugate
(cation) (anion) acid-base
Lowry pairs Practice
Predict the solubility (high or low) of the following using the
Lewis electron-pair electron-pair form an hard-soft acid/base approach. Identify each Lewis acid and
acceptor donor adduct Lewis base, and categorize each as hard or soft.

Frontier Orbitals a. silver fluoride

- high solubility
a. LUMO – Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital; acid - soft acid; hard base
b. HOMO – Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital; base
b. silver iodide
- low solubility
- soft acid; soft base

c. lithium fluoride
- low solubility
- hard acid; hard base

d. lithium iodide
- high solubility
- hard acid; soft base

*energy is needed on HOMO to promote the electrons when LUMO is

higher than the original HOMO
CHEMISTRY OF REPRESENTATIVE
ELEMENTS
Hard and Soft Acids and Bases
I. Hydrogen
Hard Soft
A. Naturally Occurring Isotopes
Size small, compact, larger, with a
with the electrons more diffuse 1. hydrogen ( ) - the most abundant isotope,
held fairly tightly distribution of 2. deuterium ( )),
by the nucleus electrons 3. tritium ( )) which is radioactive
Polarizability Non-polarizable Highly polarizable B. Reactions
1. With Reactive Metals to form Salt like Hydrides
Reactivity Hard to hard Soft to soft (K>1)
2. with Nonmetals
Preference (K>1)
C. Preparation
(K – product formation)
1. reaction of certain metals with dilute
Solubility ↓ H-H; ↑ H-S ↓ S-S, ↑ S-H hydrochloric or sulfuric acid (but not nitric acid)
(↑ Ksp, ↑ Solubility)
2. reactive metals such as Na, K and Ca react with
Charge High Low water (not preferable; very violent)
(their d orbitals are (their d orbitals are
Density often unavailable to often available to 3. steam is passed over burning coke at
engage in π bonding) engage in π bonding) temperature over 1000o C, which also produce
Effect of ↑ O.N., ↑ hardness ↑ O.N., ↓ softness carbon monoxide gas.
D. Primary Uses
Oxidation #
1. in the manufacture of ammonia by the Haber
Effect of N to Si (harder S to Pt2+ (soft
process, where hydrogen is reacted with
Linkage Site acids) acid)
nitrogen at ~300o C and ~250 atm
Nature of the ionic character covalent 2. used for the hydrogenation of vegetable oil to
Adduct (favored make shortenings and margarine
energetically) 3. rocket fuel and as a reducing agent for the
Examples F- (base) I- (base) extraction of certain metals
Li + (acid) Ag+ (acid)

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[CHM111] [ACIDS & BASES, REPRESENTATIVE ELEMENTS]

II. The Second Period Elements - can form oxides (becomes acidic when
dissolved in water)
- Li, Be, B, C, N, O, F, and Ne  Haber process in the production of ammonia
- Anomaly: Be has higher ionization energy than  Anionic oxides (acidic); Cationic oxides (basic)
B
 Trends (left-to-right) VIII. Group 6A(16): The Oxygen Family
1. ↑ nuclear charge
2. ↑ ionization energy - Oxygen is the most abundant element of all
3. ↑ electronegativity elements found in the Earth’s crust
4. ↓ metallic character
5. ↑ reactivity on left (metal); IX. Group 7A (17): The Halogens
↑ reactivity on right (nonmetal)
6. ionic to polar covalent, to nonpolar covalent. - generally very reactive
7. most basic to mild basic to weakly acidic to - forms acidic compounds
strongly acidic;
X. Group 8A (18) – Noble Gases
III. Group 1A(1): The Alkali Metals
- unreactive “inert” gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and
- Most reactive of all metals Rn; the last element is radioactive)
- Strong reducing agents - Can actually react to form coordination
 Important Reactions compound (Xe as central metal; square planar
1. reduce hydrogen in water to hydrogen gas and geometry)
form hydroxides
2. with oxygen gas produce different types of
oxides
3. with hydrogen gas to form ionic (salt like)
hydrides
4. violently with the halogens to form halides
5. Sodium chloride – most important alkali
halide
6. Sodium hydroxide and chlorine gas is used for
making bleaching solutions

IV. The Alkaline Earth Metals

- harder than the alkali metals, higher MP & BP,
stronger bond
 Important Reactions and Compounds
1. Production of fertilizers
2. When dissolved in water, produces basic
(produces hydroxide)
3. react with halogens to form halides

V. Group 3A Elements
- Boron is a metalloid (middle characteristics),
others are metals
- Boron compounds are covalent

VI. Group 4A(14) Elements – Valence-shell

Configuration: ns2 np2
- contains a nonmetal (C), two metalloids (Si &
Ge), and two metals (Sn & Pb)
 Allotropes – made of single element, but can exist
in different forms (graphite vs. diamonds)
 Highlights of Silicon Chemistry

VII. Group 5A(15): The Nitrogen Family

- nitrogen and phosphorus (the former being a
gas and the latter solid);

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