ACIDS AND BA SES

Topic 8 – Acids and bases

Quick questions (page 194)
1. a) HS​O -​4​​ b) N​O -​3​​ c) C2H5O d) C6H5O- e) O2- f) OH-
2. a) H2O b) H3O+ c) N​H +​4​​ d) HC​O -​3​​ e) H2N​O +​3​​ f) C2H5N​H +​3​​

3. conjugate acid 1 conjugate base 1 conjugate base 2 conjugate acid 2

-
Reaction 1 HC​O ​3​​ ​3​ ​
C​O 2- S2- HS-
-
Reaction 2 CH3COOH CH3COO- ​4​ ​
HP​O 2- H2P​O ​4​​

End of topic questions (page 207)

1. C; the conjugate acid and base differ from one another by a single proton (hydrogen ion); this is
defined as a conjugate acid–base pair; the water molecule and the hydronium ion differ from one
another by a single proton or hydrogen ion;
2. C; the hydronium ion and hydroxide ion in answer C differ from one another by two protons and
thus don’t adhere to the definition of a conjugate acid-base pair;
3. D; referring to a hydrogen ion as a proton, a Brønsted–Lowry acid is defined as a proton donor and
a Brønsted–Lowry base as a proton acceptor; in this equation, HCN and H2PO-4 are both acting as
proton donors; HCN in the reverse reaction and H2PO-4 in the forward reaction.
4. water can act as a Brønsted-Lowry acid by donating a proton/H+ to form OH-;
water can act as a Brønsted-Lowry base by accepting a proton/H+ to form H3O+;
5. B; metal oxides do not react directly with aqueous acids; this base dissolves in water to create an
alkaline solution of a metal hydroxide, which in turn neutralizes the acid; the products of this
reaction is a salt and water; for example:
CaO(s) + H2O(l) → Ca(OH)2(aq)
Ca(OH)2(aq) + 2HCl(aq) → CaCl2(aq) + 2H2O(l)
6. B; acid + metal → salt + hydrogen; hydrogen chloride is a strong acid
7. C; acid + metal → salt + hydrogen
8. C; acid A with a pH of 1 has a higher concentration of hydrogen ion than acid B with a pH of 2;
as the pH scale is a logarithmic scale to base 10, a change of 1 pH unit is equivalent to a 10-fold
change in the hydrogen ion concentration; the lower the number on the pH scale, the higher the
concentration of hydrogen ions;
9. C; the addition of 900 cm3 of water to 100 cm3 of NaOH results in a dilution of the concentration of
the NaOH solution by a factor of 10; this equates to a change in the pH of 1 unit; as the solution is
now less alkaline, the pH moves from 12 to 11;
10. black coffee is more acidic as it has a lower pH value; as the pH scale is a logarithmic scale to base 10,
a change of 1 pH unit is equivalent to a 10-fold change in the hydrogen ion concentration; three
pH units equates to the coffee having 1000 times (10 × 10 × 10) the concentration of hydrogen
ions;
11. n(HCl) = (0.100 × 0.50) = 0.050 mol
n(NaOH) = (0.200 × 0.10) = 0.020 mol
n(HCl)remaining = (0.050 - 0.020) = 0.030 mol

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 ACIDS AND BA SES

12. A; firstly, examine each compound and identify them as being either an ionic or covalent
compound; ammonia (NH3) is a covalent compound that will not form ions in an aqueous solution
and is a non-conductor; for the remaining species, determine how they disassociate in water:
HCl(aq) + H2O(l) → H3O+(aq) + Cl-(aq)
CH3COOH(aq) + H2O(l) ↔ CH3COO-(aq) + H3O+(aq)
H2CO3(aq) H2O(l) ↔ H3O+(aq) + HCO-3
all of the reactions produce two ions; however, hydrochloric acid is a strong acid that completely
disassociates in aqueous solutions producing a large amount of ions; ethanoic acid and dihydrogen
carbonate are both weak acids that only partially disassociate in water, producing far fewer ions;
13. C; sodium hydroxide is an example of a strong base that completely dissociates in water; ammonia
is an example of a weak base; in the reaction with water, ammonia accepts a proton and effectively
undergoes ionization:
NH3(aq) + H2O(l) ⇋ NH+4 (aq) + OH-(aq)
ammonia has a pKa of 4.75 and the equilibrium favors the reactant side; sodium hydroxide will
have a higher pH reflecting the fact it is a stronger base;
14. D; a strong acid is an effective proton donor that is assumed to completely dissociate in water;
examples include hydrochloric acid, HCl, sulfuric acid, H2SO4, and nitric acid, HNO3:
HCl(aq) + H2O(l) → H3O+(aq) + Cl-(aq)
H2SO4(aq) + H2O(l) → H3O+(aq) + HSO-4 (aq)
HNO3(aq) + H2O(l) → H3O+(aq) + NO-3 (aq)
15. A; the addition of magnesium to a solution of a strong acid will produce hydrogen gas; no reaction
between magnesium and a strong base will occur; the addition of sodium hydroxide to a strong acid will
result in an exothermic neutralization reaction; as sodium hydroxide is a strong base, no temperature
will be recorded when it is added to another strong base; both a strong acid and strong base will
completely disassociate, creating ions; both these equimolar solutions will make the lamp glow;
16. (measuring) the pH: the strong acid solution will have a lower pH; conductivity (measurement):
the strong acid will be a better conductor; the strong acid will react more vigorously with
metals/carbonates; the heat change when it is neutralized with a base will be different; heat of
neutralization;
17. a) partially dissociated or ionized;
CH3COOH + H2O ⇋ CH3COO- + H3O+ / CH3COOH ⇋ CH3COO- + H+

b) 2CH3COOH + CaCO3 → Ca(CH3COO)2 + CO2 + H2O
18. a) acid in both reactions; because it loses a proton/hydrogen ion/H+ or is a proton/hydrogen ion/
H+ donor;
b) N​H -​2​​more readily accepts a proton; equilibrium lies to the right; takes H+ from H2O;
c) N​H +​4​​; donates a proton more readily than NH3; equilibrium lies to the left.

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