ACID-BASE CHEMISTRY

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts in acid-base chemistry.

Acids

Substances that produce H3O+ ions in water; can also be defined as substances that donate H+.

Bases

Substances that produce OH- ions in water; can also be defined as substances that accept H+.

Strong Acid

An acid that is 100% dissociated in water.

Weak Acid

An acid that is only partially dissociated in water.

pH Scale

A numeric scale used to measure acidity or basicity of solutions, where lower pH indicates higher acidity.

Neutralization Reaction

An acid-base reaction where an acid reacts with a base to form a salt and water.

Amphoteric

A substance that can act as either an acid or a base, example: water.

Acid Rain

Rain with a pH less than 5, formed when air-polluting gases dissolve in rainwater.

Indicators

Substances that change colors in acidic or basic solutions, e.g., litmus and anthocyanins.

Bronsted-Lowry Definition

Acids are proton donors and bases are proton acceptors in aqueous solutions.

Dissociation of Strong Acids

Strong acids fully dissociate in water into H+ and their corresponding anions.

Carbonic Acid

A weak acid formed when carbon dioxide dissolves in water.

Kw (Ion Product of Water)

The product of the concentrations of H3O+ and OH- ions in water, equal to 1.0 x 10^-14 at 25°C.

Biological Buffer

A mixture of a weak acid and its conjugate base that resists changes in pH.

Acid-base indicator examples

Litmus and anthocyanins from plants, which indicate pH changes.

Arrhenius Definition

Acid-base theory stating that an acid produces H+ ions in solution, while a base produces OH- ions.