Ionic Equilibria and Buffers

Flashcards covering terminology and key concepts related to ionic equilibria and buffers, providing definitions and explanations needed for understanding and study.

Electrolyte

A substance that ionizes in an aqueous solution to form cations and anions.

Strong Electrolyte

A substance that is completely ionized in water.

Weak Electrolyte

A substance that only partially ionizes in water.

Nonelectrolyte

A substance that does not ionize in water, such as sucrose.

Cation

A positively charged ion.

Anion

A negatively charged ion.

Acid

A substance that donates protons (H+) in solution.

Base

A substance that accepts protons (H+) in solution.

pKa

The negative logarithm of the acid dissociation constant (Ka), indicating the strength of an acid.

Buffer Solution

A solution that resists changes in pH upon the addition of small amounts of acid or base.

Buffer Capacity

A measure of the ability of a buffer solution to resist changes in pH.

Ionization Constant (Ka)

The equilibrium constant for the ionization of a weak acid.

pH Partition Hypothesis

A concept that explains the absorption, distribution, and excretion of drugs based on their ionization at different pH levels.

Diprotic Acid

An acid that can donate two protons.

Ampholyte

A molecule that can act as both an acid and a base.

Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation

A formula that relates the pH of a buffer solution to the pKa and the concentrations of the acid and conjugate base.

Ionization of Water

The process by which water dissociates into hydronium (H3O+) and hydroxide (OH-) ions.

Percent Ionization

The percentage of a weak electrolyte that is ionized in solution.

Colligative Properties

Properties that depend on the number of solute particles in a solution rather than the identity of the solute.

Ionic Strength

A measure of the concentration of ions in a solution that affects the activity coefficients of the ions.