Acid and Base

• An acid is any hydrogen-

containing substance that is
capable of donating a proton
(hydrogen ion) to another
substance. A base is a molecule
or ion able to accept a hydrogen
ion from an acid.
Acid Definition Chemistry
• Arrhenius first defined acids as compounds
which ionize to produce hydrogen ions,
• According to the Lowry-Bronsted
definition, an acid is a proton donor
• According to the Lewis definition, acids are
molecules or ions capable of coordinating
with unshared electron pairs,
• To be acidic in the Lewis sense, a molecule
must be electron deficient.
• etc.
Acid Definition of Chemistry…..
 All
Lowery Bronstead acids are Lewis
acids but, in addition, the Lewis
definition includes many other
reagents such as boron trifluoride,
aluminium chloride, etc.
Base Definition Chemistry
 Arrhenius defiend bases as compounds which
ionize to produce hydroxide ions.
 According to the Lowry-Bronsted

definition,base is a proton acceptor.

 According to the Lewis definition, bases are

molecules or ions having unshared electron

pairs available for sharing with acids
Properties of
Acids and Bases
 Properties of Acid

• Acids are corrosive in nature.

• They are good conductors of electricity.
• Their pH values are always less than 7.
• When reacted with metals, these
substances produce hydrogen gas.
• Acids are sour in taste.
• Examples: Sulfuric acid [H2SO4],
Hydrochloric acid [HCl], Acetic acid
[CH3COOH].
Properties of Bases
 Some properties, like a bitter taste, are owned by all bases. The bases
feel slippery, too. Dream on what slippery soap looks like. And this is
a foundation. Furthermore, when immersed in water, bases conduct
electricity because they consist of charged particles in the solution.
 They are found to have a soapy texture when touched.
 These substances release hydroxide ions (OH– ions) when dissolved in
water.
 In their aqueous solutions, bases act as good conductors of electricity.
 The pH values corresponding to bases are always greater than 7.
 Bases are bitter-tasting substances which have the ability to turn red
litmus paper blue.
 Examples: Sodium hydroxide [NaOH], milk of magnesia [Mg(OH)2],
calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2].
Difference between Acids and Bases
Arrhenius Concept of Acids and Bases

 The Swedish scientist Svante August Arrhenius defined acids as

substances that increase the H+ ion concentration of water
when dissolved in it.
 These protons go on to form hydronium ions (H 3O+) by
combining with water molecules.
 Similarly, the Arrhenius definition of a base states that bases
are the substances that, when dissolved in water, increase the
concentration of OH– ions in it.
 One of the merits of this theory is that it successfully explains
the reaction between acids and bases that yield salts and water.
 An important limitation of the Arrhenius definitions of acids
and bases is that it fails to explain how substances lacking
hydroxide ions form basic solutions when dissolved in water,
such as NO2– and F–.
Bronsted Lowry Theory of Acids and Bases

 The Bronsted-Lowry theory defines an acid as a donor of

protons.
 A base is defined as a proton acceptor (or H+ ion acceptor) by
this theory.
 Bronsted acids undergo dissociation to yield protons and
therefore increase the concentration of H+ ions in the solution.
 On the other hand, Bronsted bases accept protons from water
(the solvent) to yield hydroxide ions.
 An advantage of the Bronsted-Lowry definition of acids and
bases is its ability to explain the acidic or basic nature of ionic
species.
 An important limitation of this theory is that it fails to explain
how compounds lacking hydrogen exhibit acidic properties,
such as BF3 and AlCl3.
Classification of
Acid and Base
 Acids and bases can be classified as organic
or inorganic.
Classification of Acid
 Acids can be classified as organic or
inorganic.
 . Some of the more common organic acids

are: citric acid, carbonic acid,

hydrogen cyanide, salicylic acid, lactic acid,
and tartaric
 Some of the common inorganic acids are:
hydrogen sulfide, phosphoric acid,
hydrogen chloride, and sulfuric acid
• Acids, such as hydrochloric acid,
and bases, such as potassium
hydroxide, that have a great
tendency to dissociate in water
are completely ionized in solution;
they are called strong acids or
strong bases.
• Acids, such as acetic acid, and
bases, such as ammonia, that are
reluctant to dissociate in water are
only partially ionized in solution;
they are called weak acids or weak
base
 Strong acids in solution produce a high
concentration of hydrogen ions, and strong
bases in solution produce a high
concentration of hydroxide ions and a
correspondingly low concentration of
hydrogen ions.
 The hydrogen ion concentration is often

expressed in terms of its negative logarithm,

or pH.
Strong acids and strong bases make very goo
d electrolytes (see
electrolysis), i.e., their solutions readily
conduct electricity. Weak acids and weak
bases make poor electrolytes.
Classification of Base
 Bases can be classified as organic or
inorganic.
 Some examples of organic bases are: pyridine

and ethylamine.
 . Some common inorganic bases are:

sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate,

sodium bicarbonate, calcium hydroxide, and
calcium carbonate