Chem of life chapter 7

what does it mean if a pH of a solution is below 7?

the solution is acidic

what do acidic solutions have?

-higher hydronium (h30) concentration than pure water

-lower hydroxide (OH) concentration than pure water

If the pH of a solution is exactly 7, what is the solution?

Neutral

what are the concentrations of h30 and OH in a neutral solution?

they match those of pure water (theyre equal)

if the pH of a solution is above 7, what does that mean?

the solution is basic (alkaline)

what do basic solutions have?

- lower h30 concentration than pure water

- higher OH concentration than pure water

what is a strong electrolyte?

any compound that ionizes completely in water

what is an acid that is a strong electrolyte called?

a strong acid

what is a compound that ionizes to a limited extent called?

a weak electrolyte

an acid that is a weak electrolyte is called

a weak acid

How can you tell if something is an acid?

It starts with H

what is a monoprotic acid?

an acid that is only able to transfer one hydrogen ion to water

what is a polyprotic acid?

an acid that is capable of losing more than one hydrogen ion

(in most of them, the second hydrogen is harder to remove than the first)

what is a base?

any compound that can bond to H+.

(also called a proton acceptor)

what does a base do to an acid?

neutralises it

how does a base neutralize an acid?

the base forms a bond to the hydrogen ion in the acid

what happens when you mix a base with water?

the base pulls a hydrogen ion away from a water molecule

how can you tell the structure of a base?

most molecules that contain nitrogen covalently bonded to carbon, hydrogen, or both, are bases

how are bases classified as weak or strong?

based on how effective they are at removing hydrogen ions from water molecules

what makes a strong electrolyte and a strong base?

when EVERY molecule of a substance removes a proton from a water molecule (making OH ions)

what makes a weak base and weak electrolyte?

they react with water to make OH ions but only to a LIMITED extent

what is a conjugate pair?

two substances that differ by ONE H⁺ (hydrogen ion)

What is a conjugate base?

what forms after an acid loses H⁺

(ex: HCl → Cl⁻

HCl loses H⁺, so Cl⁻ is the conjugate base.)

what is a conjugate acid?

what forms after a base gains H⁺.

(ex: NH₃ → NH₄⁺

NH₃ gains H⁺, so NH₄⁺ is the conjugate acid.)

how do you find a conjugate base?

remove an H+

how do you find a conjugate acid?

add an H+

What is an amphiprotic substance?

a substance that can act as either an acid (gain a hydrogen) or a base (lose a hydrogen)

ex- water (can make h30 or OH)

what happens in the human body if blood pH drops below 7.35

you have acidosis

what happens in the human body if blood pH rises above 7.45

alkalosis

what are the 3 important buffers in the human body?

-protein buffer system

-phosphate buffer system

-carbonic acid buffer system

how does the protein buffer system work?

Proteins stabilize pH by binding excess H⁺ ions when a solution becomes too acidic and releasing H⁺ ions when it becomes too basic, helping maintain normal blood pH.

How does the carbonic acid buffer system work?

it keeps blood pH stable by adjusting the balance between CO₂ and carbonic acid, which can release or absorb H⁺ as needed.