Acids and Bases Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards related to acids and bases.

Arrhenius Acid

Any substance that releases H+ in water.

Arrhenius Base

Any substance that releases OH- in water.

Salt

The neutralization product when an acid and a base react; any ionic compound which is neither an acid nor a base.

Acids

React with bases, are electrolytes, act on some metals to produce H2 (g), turn litmus paper red, taste sour.

Bases

React with acids, are electrolytes, feel slippery, turn litmus paper blue, taste bitter.

Sulfuric Acid

H2SO4; used for production of sulphates, fertilizers, explosives, dyes, insecticides, detergents, plastics; a good dehydrating agent.

Hydrochloric Acid

HCl; used in production of chlorides, cleaning metal products and bricks; a catalyst in some chemical reactions; stomach acid is a dilute solution of it.

Nitric Acid

HNO3; Used for production of nitrates, fertilizers, explosives, and dyes, colours protein yellow, very reactive, quickly attacks almost all metals.

Acetic Acid

CH3COOH; used to make acetates, for food preservation, and to make textiles and plastics; Non-electrolyte when concentrated , weak electrolyte when diluted. Only affects highly reactive metals

Sodium Hydroxide

NaOH; used to make sodium salts, soap, and cleaning products; used in the production of glass, pulp and paper, plastics, aluminum; very corrosive.

Potassium Hydroxide

KOH; used in the manufacturing of liquid soaps; used to absorb CO2. Usd to make potassium salts and as an electrolyte in alkaline batteries.

Ammonia

NH3; used in manufacturing nitric acid, explosives, fertilizers, and synthetic fibres; used as a refrigeration gas.

Hydronium Ion

A proton (H+) attached to a water molecule (H2O), forming H3O+.

Bronsted-Lowry Acid

A substance which donates a proton to another substance.

Bronsted-Lowry Base

A substance which accepts a proton from another substance.

Monoprotic Acid

An acid which can supply only one proton.

Diprotic Acid

An acid which can supply up to two protons.

Triprotic Acid

An acid which can supply up to three protons.

Polyprotic Acid

A general term for an acid which can supply more than one proton.

Amphiprotic

Substances that can act as either a base or an acid depending on what they are reacting with; they can either accept or donate a proton.

Conjugate Acid-Base Pair

A pair of chemical species which differ by only one proton.

Conjugate Acid

The member of a conjugate pair which has the extra proton.

Conjugate Base

The member of a conjugate pair which lacks the extra proton.

Strong Acid or Base

100% ionized in solution.

Weak Acid or Base

Less than 100% ionized in solution.

Leveling Effect

The term describing the fact that all strong acids are 100% dissociated in aqueous solution and are equivalent to solutions of H3O+(aq), while all strong bases are 100% dissociated in aqueous solution and are equivalent to solutions of OH-(aq).

Neutral Solution

A solution having [H3O+] = [OH-]

Acidic Solution

A solution having [H3O+] > [OH-]

Basic Solution

A solution having [H3O+] < [OH-]

Equilibrium Constant for the Ionization of Water

Kw = [H+][OH-] = 1.00 x 10^-14

Ka

The acid ionization constant. Ka = ( [CH3COO-][H3O+] / [CH3COOH] )

Kb

The base ionization constant. Kb = ( [NH4+][OH-] / [NH3] )

pH

pH = -log[H3O+]

pOH

pOH = -log[OH-]

pKw

pH + pOH = 14

Hydrolysis of a Salt

A reaction between water and the cation or anion (or both) contained in the salt so as to produce an acidic or basic solution.

Spectator Ions

Ions that do not react with water. Spectator cations are the ions of the alkali metals (column I of the periodic table) and the ions of the alkaline earth metals (column II). Spectator anions will be the first five anions found at the top right of the BSL table… ClO4-, I-, Br-, Cl-, NO3-

Titration

A process in which a measured amount of a solution is reacted with a known volume of another solution until a desired equivalence point is reached

Equivalence Point

The point in a titration where the mole ratio in the reaction exactly equals the mole ratio required by the stoichiometry of the reaction.

Indicator

A weak organic acid or base with different colours for its conjugate acid and base forms.

Endpoint

The point in the titration where the colour of the indicator changes.

Universal Indicator

An indicator solution which changes colour several times over a range of pH values.

Standard Solution

A solution with an accurately known concentration; used to titrate other solutions and determine their concentrations.

Primary Standard

A substance that can be obtained in a pure and stable form, which does not absorb water or carbon dioxide from the air, and which has a known molar mass such that it can be used to prepare a solution of known concentration.

Buffer

A solution containing appreciable amounts of a weak acid and its conjugate weak base; prevents the addition of either an acid or base from changing the pH of a solution to any great extent.