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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.
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]
In such cases, the system can be treated as a mixture of the acid or base and water, which is an amphoteric substance. By accounting for the self-ionization of water, the true pH of the solution can be calculated. For example, a 5 × 10 −8 M solution of HCl would have a pH of 6.89 when treated as a mixture of HCl and water. The self ...
In the context of a chemical reaction the term neutralization is used for a reaction between an acid and a base or alkali. Historically, this reaction was represented as acid + base (alkali) → salt + water x H y A + y B(OH) x → B y A x + xy H 2 O. For example: HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H 2 O
For example, if the concentration of the conjugate base is 10 times greater than the concentration of the acid, their ratio is 10:1, and consequently the pH is pK a + 1 or pK b + 1. Conversely, if a 10-fold excess of the acid occurs with respect to the base, the ratio is 1:10 and the pH is pK a − 1 or pK b − 1.
Bases and acids are seen as chemical opposites because the effect of an acid is to increase the hydronium (H 3 O +) concentration in water, whereas bases reduce this concentration. A reaction between aqueous solutions of an acid and a base is called neutralization , producing a solution of water and a salt in which the salt separates into its ...
In chemistry, an acid–base reaction is a chemical reaction that occurs between an acid and a base.It can be used to determine pH via titration.Several theoretical frameworks provide alternative conceptions of the reaction mechanisms and their application in solving related problems; these are called the acid–base theories, for example, Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory.
The water molecule is amphoteric in aqueous solution. It can either gain a proton to form a hydronium ion H 3 O +, or else lose a proton to form a hydroxide ion OH −. [7] Another possibility is the molecular autoionization reaction between two water molecules, in which one water molecule acts as an acid and another as a base. H 2 O + H 2 O ...