Chapter 14 Acids and Bases – Key Vocabulary

Fifteen flashcards summarizing the essential vocabulary for Chapter 14 (Acids and Bases) to aid exam preparation.

Arrhenius Acid

A substance that produces hydrogen ions (H+) when dissolved in water.

Arrhenius Base

A substance that produces hydroxide ions (OH−) when dissolved in water.

Brønsted–Lowry Acid

A proton (H+) donor in a chemical reaction.

Brønsted–Lowry Base

A proton (H+) acceptor in a chemical reaction.

Conjugate Acid–Base Pair

Two species that differ by exactly one proton; the acid becomes its conjugate base after donating H+, and the base becomes its conjugate acid after accepting H+.

Strong Acid

An acid that dissociates completely (~100 %) in water, acting as a strong electrolyte (Ka > 1).

Weak Acid

An acid that dissociates only partially (< 5 %) in water, acting as a weak electrolyte (Ka < 1).

Ion Product of Water (Kw)

The equilibrium constant for water’s auto-ionization; Kw = [H3O+][OH−] = 1.0 × 10⁻¹⁴ at 25 °C.

Acid Ionization Constant (Ka)

Equilibrium constant that measures the extent of acid dissociation in water; larger Ka means a stronger acid.

Base Ionization Constant (Kb)

Equilibrium constant that measures the extent of a base’s reaction with water to form OH−; larger Kb means a stronger base.

pH

A logarithmic measure of solution acidity, defined as pH = −log[H3O+]; lower values indicate higher acidity.

pOH

A logarithmic measure of hydroxide ion concentration, defined as pOH = −log[OH−]; related to pH by pH + pOH = 14 at 25 °C.

Polyprotic Acid

An acid capable of donating more than one proton in a stepwise manner, with each step having its own (decreasing) Ka value.

Lewis Acid

An electron-pair acceptor; often electron-deficient or positively charged and forms coordinate covalent bonds.

Lewis Base

An electron-pair donor; typically possesses a lone pair or negative charge that it shares to form a coordinate covalent bond.