Chemistry: Acid-Base Equilibria

These flashcards cover key concepts related to acid-base equilibria, definitions, properties, and comparisons of acids and bases, preparing students for exams in chemistry.

What is the Arrhenius definition of an acid?

An acid is a substance that increases the concentration of hydrogen ions when dissolved in water.

What is the Arrhenius definition of a base?

A base is a substance that increases the concentration of hydroxide ions when dissolved in water.

According to the Brønsted–Lowry definition, what is an acid?

An acid is a proton donor.

According to the Brønsted–Lowry definition, what is a base?

A base is a proton acceptor.

What defines a Lewis acid?

A Lewis acid is an electron pair acceptor.

What defines a Lewis base?

A Lewis base is an electron pair donor.

What makes water amphiprotic?

Water can act as both an acid (donating protons) and a base (accepting protons).

What is a conjugate acid-base pair?

Two formulas that differ by H+ are called a conjugate acid-base pair.

How does a strong acid differ from a weak acid in terms of dissociation?

A strong acid completely transfers its proton to water, while a weak acid only partially dissociates.

What happens to the conjugate base of a strong acid?

The conjugate base of a strong acid shows negligible basicity and does not accept protons easily.

What is the ion product constant for water at 25°C?

The ion product constant for water, Kw, is 1.0 × 10^-14.

What is the relationship between pH and hydrogen ion concentration?

pH is the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration.

What do we understand by percent ionization?

Percent ionization is the ratio of the concentration of ionized acid to the initial concentration of acid, multiplied by 100.

How does one determine whether a solution is acidic, basic, or neutral?

If [H+] > [OH-], the solution is acidic; if [H+] < [OH-], it is basic; if [H+] = [OH-], it is neutral.

What are the two main categories of weak bases?

1) Neutral substances with a nonbonding pair of electrons that can accept H+; 2) Anions of weak acids, which are their conjugate bases.

What is the significance of Ka in acid strength?

The larger the value of Ka, the stronger the acid.