Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A strong base is a basic chemical compound that can remove a proton (H +) from (or deprotonate) a molecule of even a very weak acid (such as water) in an acid–base reaction. Common examples of strong bases include hydroxides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, like NaOH and Ca(OH) 2, respectively. Due to their low solubility, some ...
Water is amphoteric: it has the ability to act as either an acid or a base in chemical reactions. [87] According to the Brønsted-Lowry definition, an acid is a proton (H +) donor and a base is a proton acceptor. [88] When reacting with a stronger acid, water acts as a base; when reacting with a stronger base, it acts as an acid. [88]
Water is also central to acid-base neutrality and enzyme function. An acid, a hydrogen ion (H +, that is, a proton) donor, can be neutralized by a base, a proton acceptor such as a hydroxide ion (OH −) to form water. Water is considered to be neutral, with a pH (the negative log of the hydrogen ion concentration) of 7 in an ideal state.
On the other hand, if a chemical is a weak acid its conjugate base will not necessarily be strong. Consider that ethanoate, the conjugate base of ethanoic acid, has a base splitting constant (Kb) of about 5.6 × 10 −10, making it a weak base. In order for a species to have a strong conjugate base it has to be a very weak acid, like water.
Because the solvent system definition depends on the solute as well as on the solvent itself, a particular solute can be either an acid or a base depending on the choice of the solvent: HClO 4 is a strong acid in water, a weak acid in acetic acid, and a weak base in fluorosulfonic acid; this characteristic of the theory has been seen as both a ...
Similarly the strength of a strong base is leveled by the acidity of the solvent. When a strong acid is dissolved in water, it reacts with it to form hydronium ion (H 3 O +). [2] An example of this would be the following reaction, where "HA" is the strong acid: HA + H 2 O → A − + H 3 O + Any acid that is stronger than H 3 O + reacts with H ...
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
A Lewis base is often a Brønsted–Lowry base as it can donate a pair of electrons to H +; [11] the proton is a Lewis acid as it can accept a pair of electrons. The conjugate base of a Brønsted–Lowry acid is also a Lewis base as loss of H + from the acid leaves those electrons which were used for the A—H bond as a lone pair on the ...