Acids and Bases

Acids and Bases

Strong Acids

• Strong acids are strong electrolytes, meaning they completely dissociate into ions when dissolved in water.
• Examples of strong acids include:
  • Hydrochloric acid: $HCl$
  • Hydrobromic acid: $HBr$
  • Hydroiodic acid: $HI$
  • Chloric acid: $HClO3$
  • Perchloric acid: $HClO4$
  • Nitric acid: $HNO3$
  • Sulfuric acid: $H2SO4$ (only the first proton, i.e., $HSO4^-$ is a strong acid)

Strong Bases

• Strong bases are soluble compounds containing the hydroxide anion ($\Theta OH), and they dissociate completely in water to produce hydroxide ions.
• Examples of strong bases include:
  • Sodium hydroxide: NaOH
  • Potassium hydroxide: KOH

Weak Acids

• Weak acids are weak electrolytes, meaning they only partially dissociate into ions when dissolved in water.
• Examples of weak acids include:
  • Hydrofluoric acid: HF
  • Hydrocyanic acid: HCN
  • Acetic acid: CH3COOH (a carboxylic acid)

Weak Bases

• Weak bases are weak electrolytes, meaning they only partially dissociate into ions when dissolved in water.
• Example of a weak base:
  • Ammonia: NH3$$