Chem 16

rd

3 Long Exam Reviewer

May 2015

ACIDS AND BASES

PROPERTIES
Properties of Aqueous Solutions of Acids
o Usually sour
o Blue litmus to red
o Blue bromothymol blue to yellow
o Generate hydrogen (H2) gas
o Conduct electricity
Properties of Aqueous Solutions of Bases
o Usually bitter
o Slippery
o Red litmus to blue
o Yellow bromothymol blue to blue
o Conduct electricity
Three Theories:
1. Arrhenius Theory
2. Bronsted-Lowry Theory
3. Lewis Theory

ARRHEINIUS THEORY
Acids are substances that contain
hydrogen and produce H+ in aqueous
solutions
Bases are substances that contain the
hydroxyl (OH) group and produce
hydroxide ions (OH-) in aqueous
solutions
Neutralization
reactions
are
the
combination of H+ (or H3O+) with OH- to
form H2O.
Strong acids and strong bases are
substances that ionize 100% in water.
Strong Acids: HCl, HBr, HI, H2SO4,
HNO3, HClO4, HClO3
Strong Bases: group I oxides, some
group 2 oxides: Ca(OH)2, Sr(OH)2,
Ba(OH)2
All strong acid-strong base reactions have
this net ionic equation:
H+ + OH- -> H2O
BRONSTED-LOWRY THEORY
Acid is a proton donor, any species
which donates an H+.
Base is a proton acceptor, any species
which accepts an H+.

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*An acid reactant will produce a base

product and the two will constitute an
acid-base conjugate pair.
Conjugate acid-base pairs
1. Identify the reactant acid and base.
2. Find the species that differs from the
acid by a proton, which is the
conjugate base.
3. Find the species that differs from the
base by a proton, which is the
conjugate acid.
*The weaker the acid or base, the
stronger the conjugate partner.
Water can either be an acid or base in
Bronsted-Lowry theory. Consequently,
water can react with itself. This reaction is
called autoionization.
Species that can behave as an acid or
base are called amphoteric.
There is a relationship between molecular
structure and acid strength.

STRENGTHS OF BINARY ACIDS

Electronegativity
increases,
acidity
increases.
Bond
strength
decreases,
acidity
increases.
Acid leveling effect masks the differences
in acid strength of the hydrohalic acids.
All strong soluble acids have the same
strength in water.
STRENGTHS OF TERNARY ACIDS
Factors promoting electron withdrawal
from the OH bond to the oxygen atom:
o High electronegativity of the central
atom
o A large number of terminal O atoms in
the molecule
Ternary acid strength usually increases
with:
1. An increasing number of O atoms on
the central atom
2. Increasing oxidation state of central
atom

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Acids and Bases

Chem 16

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3 Long Exam Reviewer

ACID-BASE REACTIONS IN AQUEOUS

SOLUTIONS
There are three types of substances that
are written as ionized in total and net ionic
equations: strong acids, strong bases
and strongly water soluble salts.
1. Strong Acid Strong Base (forming
soluble salts)
Net ionic: H+ + OH- -> H2O
SA-SB reaction forming insoluble
salt:
H2SO4 + Ba(OH)2 -> BaSO4(s)+ 2H2O
2. Weak Acid Strong Base (forming
soluble salts)
3. Strong Acid Weak Base (forming
soluble salts)
4. Weak Acid Weak Base (forming
soluble salts)

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reaction that is only a Lewis acid-base

reaction.
THE SELF-IONIZATION OF WATER AND
THE PH SCALE
H2O + H2O -> H3O+ + OH 7 Strong Acids: HCl, HBr, HI, HNO3,
HClO3, HClO4, H2SO4
Formulas to Remember:
1. pH = -log[H3O+]
2. pOH = -log[OH-]
3. pKw = pH +pOH = 14
4. Kw = [H3O+][OH-] = 1.0x10-14
5. [H3O+] = 10-pH
6. [OH-] = 10-pOH
pH = 7 neutral
pH < 7 acidic
pH > 7 basic

THE PH OF SALT SOLUTIONS

Salts of strong bases and strong acids:
pH=7
Salts of strong bases and weak acids: pH
>7
Salts of weak bases and strong acids: pH
<7
Salts of weak bases and weak acids:
depends on the relative values of Ka and
Kb for the ions

ACIDIC SALTS AND BASIC SALTS

Acidic salts are formed by the reaction of
polyprotic acids with less than the
stoichiometric amount of base.
Basic salts are formed by the reaction of
polyhydroxy bases with less than the
stoichiometric amount of acid.
LEWIS THEORY
Most general of the present day acid-base
theories
Emphasis on what the electrons are
doing as opposed to what the protons are
doing
REMEMBER:
Acids are electron pair acceptors.
Bases are defined as electron pair
donors.
The reaction of sodium fluoride and boron
trifluoride provides an example of a

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Acids and Bases