Acid and Base Theory

APRIL 9, 2019
Properties of Acids and Bases

Acids Both Bases

Sour Taste Aqueous solutions are strong Bitter Taste
or weak electrolytes
React with Metals to produce Cause indicators to change Do not react with metals
H2 colour
pH < 7 May be corrosive/caustic pH > 7
 Definitions of Acids and Bases

 There are three definitions of acids and bases.

 Arrhenius (1887)
 Bronsted-Lowry (1923)
 Lewis (1923) – More generalized than Bronsted-Lowry theory
 Arrhenius Theory

 Some substances can dissociate, or break up, when dissolved in water

 Acids contain Hydrogen, and break up when dissolved in water to yield H+.
 Bases contain a hydroxide group, and break up to yield OH– in aqueous solution.
 You can often tell which is an Arrhenius Acid (or Arrhenius Base) by its formula.
 Arrhenius Theory

 A hydrogen atom that can be ‘separated’ from the rest of the molecule is called ionizable
 Ex: HNO3 has one ionizable hydrogen because it can break up into H+ and NO3-
 We call this “monoprotic” because it has one removable hydrogen
 H2SO4 is an example of a diprotic acid.
 H3PO4 is an example of a triprotic acid.
Arrhenius Acids

 In an aqueous solution, hydrogen ions are not present. Instead, the

hydrogen ions are joined to water molecules as hydronium ions.
 Arrhenius Acids

 Not all compounds that contain hydrogen are Arrhenius Acids.

 Electronegativity: A hydrogen can only be “removed” if it is in a polar bond (attatched to a very
electronegative element)
 If the bond containing the hydrogen is relatively weak, then it is more readily ionized than a stronger
bond.
Discussion: Arrhenius Acids

 Would Methane CH4 be considered an Arrhenius Acid? Why or why not?

Answer

 Based on the difference in electronegativity between Carbon and

Hydrogen, the C-H bond is non-polar. Therefore, it is not considered an
Arrhenius acid.
Arrhenius Bases

 Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and Potassium Hydroxide are example of Arrhenius bases
.
Arrhenius Bases

 Group 1A elements react violently with water to produce a hydroxide and

hydrogen gas.
Arrhenius Bases

 Calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2, and magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2, are

compounds of Group 2A metals.
 These compounds are not very soluble in water. Their solutions are always very
dilute, even when saturated.
Bronsted-Lowry Theory

 The Arrhenius definitions of acidity and alkalinity are restricted to aqueous solutions and
refer to the concentration of ions.
 Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and ammonia (NH3) act as bases when they form aqueous
solutions. (e.g. We see they can turn pH paper blue)
 However, they don’t contain –OH group, so according to Arrhenius they shouldn’t be bases.
 In 1923, Johannes Bronsted and Thomas Lowry came up with a new definition:

 An acid is a H+ donor; A base is a H+ acceptor

Bronstead Lowry Acids and Bases

 This definition includes all Arrhenius Acids, but it can also explain why
Ammonia is a base:
Bronstead Lowry Acids and Bases

 We call Ammonia a “Bronsted-Lowry Base” because it has accepted an

H+ ion
 We call water (in this case) a Bronsted-Lowry Acid because it donated an
H+ to Ammonia
Bronsted-Lowry Acids and Bases

 This can help to explain some more complicated reactions:

In this case, water acts like an acid!

 Conjugate Acids and Bases

 In the real world, most reactions are reversible.

𝑁𝐻3 + 𝐻2 𝑂 ⇌ 𝑁𝐻4+ + 𝑂𝐻−

In the forward reaction, NH3 accepts a proton from H2O,
But in the reverse reaction, it is NH4+ is giving its proton to OH-. Therefore, NH4+ is a proton
donor, and a Bronsted-Lowry Acid
Similarly, we have 𝑂𝐻 − which accepts a proton, making it a BL Base.
NH4+ is the conjugate acid of the base NH3 while OH- is the conjugate base of water.
 Conjugate Acids and Bases

𝑁𝐻3 + 𝐻2 𝑂 ⇌ 𝑁𝐻4+ + 𝑂𝐻 −
 If we look at this reaction as a whole, there are two acids and two bases. (One on each side of
the reaction).
 A conjugate acid is the ion or molecule formed when a base gains a hydrogen ion.
𝑁𝐻4+ is the conjugate acid 𝑁𝐻3 .
 A conjugate base is the ion or molecule formed when acid loses a hydrogen ion.
𝑂𝐻 − is the conjugate base 𝐻2 𝑂.
 Conjugate acids are always paired with a base, and conjugate bases are always paired with
an acid. These are called conjugate acid-base pairs.
Conjugate Acids and Bases

 The ammonia molecule and the ammonium ion are a conjugate acid-
base pair.
 The water molecule and the hydroxide ion are also a conjugate acid-
base pair.
 Conjugate Acids and Bases

In this reaction, HCl is the ________________________ and H2O is the ___________________________.

What is the conjugate base of HCl?

What is the conjugate acide of H2O?

Amphoteric Substances

 They can act as either an acid or a base, depending on the conditions.

HCO3− + H3O+ → H2CO3 + H2O
 Here, the hydrogen carbonate ion acts like a base, accepting the H+ from
the hydronium ion
HCO3− + OH− → CO32− + H2O

 But here, it acts like an acid, losing its hydrogen ion to the hydroxide ion.

 Water is the most common amphoteric substance

Finally: Lewis Acids and Bases

 A Lewis acid accepts a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond

 A Lewis base donates a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond

(You should remember Lewis dot diagrams and always look for an UNSHARED
pair of electrons. The one with the unshared pair is the base)
Lewis Acids and Bases
 Sample Problem 19.1

NH3 + BF3 -> NH3BF3

Another Question

 In the reaction AlCl3 + Cl- -> AlCl4, which is the Lewis acid and which is the
Lewis base? (Remember to draw a Lewis structure if you get stuck)