Acids and Bases Chapter 19
Ants use formic acid to alert each other of danger. Citrus acid gives OJ it’s flavor. Limestone is carved away by acid in rain to make these caves.
What makes a solution acid or basic? Can something be neutral? Water, the most common solvent, breaks down into ions H 2 O H + + OH - The relative amounts of ions determine if a solution is acidic, basic or neutral Acidic = more H + (hydride) ions Basic = more OH - (hydroxide ion) Neutral = same amount of both (pH=7)
Robert Boyle described differences between acids and bases Acids Contains more H+ Taste sour Corrosive to metals Changes litmus paper red Become less acidic when reacted with bases Forms hydrogen gas when reacted with metals pH Bases Contains more OH- Taste Bitter Feel slippery Changes litmus paper blue Become less basic when reacted with acids pH
Arrhenius acids –release hydrogen (H+) ions
Arrhenius bases –release hydroxide (OH-) ions
The Arrhenius theory doesn’t explain why some substances can act like a base even though they do not contain hydroxide ions Johannes Bronsted and Thomas Lowry wrote independent papers to offer another explanation of acids and bases
Bronsted-Lowry Bronsted-Lowry Acid = any substance that can donate a hydrogen ion or a proton –Very similar to Arrhenius definition
Bronsted-Lowry Base = any substance that can accept a hydrogen ion –Opposite of an acid –Explains why NaOH and KOH are considered bases b/c they accept a H+ from acid to form water –Also it explains why substance that do not contain OH- are still considered bases
Conjugate Acids Conjugate acid = formed from the base by addition of a proton (H+) Base conjugate acid
Conjugate Bases Conjugate base = formed from the acid by loss of a proton (H+) Acid conjugate base
Conjugate acid-base pair consists of two substances related to each other by the donating and accepting of a single proton
Water can act like both an acid and a base. When substances can act as both an acid and a base they are called amphoteric
The idea that a base can make an acid weaker and vice versa is called neutralization NaOH + HCl NaCl + H 2 O