Chem 30A

Ch 14. Acids and Bases

Acids and Bases
 Acids and Bases

•  Acids
–  Sour taste
–  Dissolve many metals
–  Turn litmus paper red.
–  Egs. Ace9c acid (vinegar),
citric acid (lemons)

•  Bases
–  Bi>er taste, slippery feel
–  Turn litmus paper blue.
–  Egs. Drano, ammonia, caffeine
 Arrhenius Definition of Acids and Bases
Based on H+ or OH- Produc9on in Water
•  Acid: Substance that produces H+ ions (protons) in
aqueous solu9ons
§  HCl (aq) à H+ (aq) + Cl– (aq)
§  HNO3 (aq) à H+ (aq) + NO3– (aq)

•  Base: Substance that produces OH- (hydroxide)

ions aqueous solu9ons
§  NaOH (aq) à Na+(aq) + OH–(aq)

•  Defn is limited– restricted to reac9ons in water

only
 Bronsted-Lowry Definition of Acids and Bases
Based on Proton Transfer:
•  Acids: Proton donors
HCl à H+ + Cl-

•  Bases: Proton acceptors

NH3 + H+ à NH4+


 Bronsted-Lowry Acid
•  An acid must have an acidic proton that can be
donated.

acidic proton
 Bronsted-Lowry Base

•  A base must have a lone pair to accept a

proton.
•  A base can be neutral or nega9vely charged.
 Number of Acidic Protons on a Molecule
•  An acid molecule can be monopro9c, dipro9c, or
tripro9c (based on number of acidic protons).
 Water Acts as Both Acid and Base (Amphoteric)

•  Water can act as a base, accep9ng a proton from

an acid à Forms hydronium ion H3O+.

•  Water can act as an acid, dona9ng a proton to a

base à Forms hydroxide ion OH-

 The Proton in Water

•  A H+ ion in water is not isolated! A H+ ion in

water a>racts the nega9ve pole of water
molecule so strongly that it forms a covalent
bond to water.

HCl (aq) + H2O(l) à H3O+ (aq) + Cl– (aq)
hydronium ion (hydrated proton)



*Also wri>en as: HCl (aq) à H+ (aq) + Cl– (aq)

 Bronsted-Lowry Acid and Base Work Together

•  An acid and base must always work together

to transfer a proton!

In aqueous solu9ons of acids or bases, water acts as

the base or acid “partner”:
§  HCl + H2O à Cl- + H3O+ (HCl à Cl- + H+)
acid base

§  NH3 + H2O à NH4+ + OH- (NH3 à NH4+ + OH-)
base acid
Acid-Base Reactions Don’t Have to Involve Water
•  A Bronsted-Lowry acid-base reac9on does not
always occur in water.

Ex Probs
 List of Common Acids and Bases

Strong Acids Strong Bases:

HCl hydrochloric acid Metal Hydroxides of
HBr hydrobromic acid Group 1A ca9ons
HI hydroiodic acid LiOH, NaOH, KOH, etc.
HNO3 nitric acid and
H2SO4 sulfuric acid Heavier Group 2A ca9ons:
HClO4 perchloric acid Ca(OH)2, Sr(OH)2, Ba(OH)2
Common Weak Acids Common Weak Base
HC2H3O2 or CH3COOH NH3 ammonia
ace9c acid
H2CO3 carbonic acid
Conjugate Acid-Base Pairs
 Conjugate Acid-Base Pair

Conjugate acid-base pair: two substances

whose formulas differ by only a hydrogen ion

•  NH3 and NH4+ are a conjugate acid-base pair.

•  H2O and OH– are a conjugate acid-base pair.

 Conjugate Acid-Base Pair

•  H2SO4 and HSO4– are a conjugate acid-base

pair.
•  H2O and H3O+ are a conjugate acid-base pair.

Conjugate Acid-Base Pair
 Example Problems

Which of the following represent conjugate acid-

base pairs?
a.  HF, F- ✔
b.  NH4+, NH3 ✔
c.  HCl, H2O
d.  HClO4, ClO4- ✔
e.  HCl, ClO-
f.  H2PO4-, HPO42- ✔
g.  HNO3, NO3- ✔
Ex Probs
Reactions of Acids and Bases
 Acid-Base Reaction: Neutralization

Neutraliza9on: a reac9on in which an acid and

base react quan9ta9vely with each other
 Acid-Base Reaction: Acid + Strong Base

When an acid and a strong base (metal

hydroxide) react, they form water and a salt
(ionic compound).

•  HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) à H2O (l) + NaCl (aq)


Net ionic eqn: H+(aq) + OH-(aq) à H2O (l)
 Acid-Base Reaction: Gas-Forming
When an acid and a bicarbonate (HCO3–) or
carbonate (CO32–) react, water and gas are formed.

•  HCl (aq) + KHCO3(aq) à KCl(aq) + [H2CO3(aq)] à
KCl + H2O(l) + CO2(g)
H+(aq) + HCO3–(aq) à [H2CO3(aq)] à H2O(l) + CO2(g)

•  2HCl (aq) + K2CO3(aq) à2KCl(aq) + [H2CO3(aq)] à
2KCl(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2(g)
2H+(aq) + CO32–(aq) à [H2CO3(aq)] à H2O(l) + CO2(g)

 Reaction of Acids with Metals (Redox Rxn)

•  Acids dissolve many metals: Acids oxidize

metals, causing metals to go into solu9on.

•  2HCl(aq) + Mg(s) à H2(g) + MgCl2(aq)

acid metal H2 gas salt

•  H2SO4(aq) + Zn(s) à H2(g) + ZnSO4(aq)
acid metal H2 gas salt

 Titration

•  Titra9on: Determina9on of the concentra9on

of a solu9on with an unknown concentra9on
(analyte) by combining it with a standard
solu9on of known concentra9on (9trant).
 Acid-Base Titration
•  Equivalence point: the point where enough
9trant has been added to react exactly with the
analyte present

mole H+ = mole OH–

•  Indicator for acid-base 9tra9on: Compound
whose color is different in acid than in base

•  Endpoint: the point at which the indicator’s signal

is triggered (The endpoint may or may not come
exactly at equivalence point).

 Acid-Base Titration
CH3COOH(aq) + NaOH(aq) à H2O(l) + Na+(aq) + CH3COO-(aq)

(titrant)

(analyte)
 Acid-Base Titration

•  Acid-base 9tra9on problems are stoichiometry

problems (solu9on stoichiometry).

Ex Probs
Acid Strength
 Acid Strength

•  Strong acid: Completely ionized (dissociated).

HCl(aq) H+(aq) + Cl-(aq)

•  Weak acid: Most of the acid molecules remain
intact.
CH3COOH(aq) H+(aq) + CH3COO-(aq)
equilibrium arrow

Acid Strength
 Strong Acid Solutions

•  Strong acids ionize completely:

HCl à H+ + Cl-

So: 0.01 M HCl à 0.01 M H+ + 0.01 M Cl-

0.5 M HCl à 0.5 M H+ + 0.5 M Cl-

•  Weak acids do not ionize completely:

 Acids as Electrolytes

Electrolyte: a solu9on of free ions, conducts

electricity

Weak acid Strong acid

Weak electrolyte Strong electrolyte
 List of Common Acids and Bases

Strong Acids Strong Bases:

HCl hydrochloric acid Metal Hydroxides of
HBr hydrobromic acid Group 1A ca9ons
HI hydroiodic acid LiOH, NaOH, KOH, etc.
HNO3 nitric acid and
H2SO4 sulfuric acid Heavier Group 2A ca9ons:
HClO4 perchloric acid Ca(OH)2, Sr(OH)2, Ba(OH)2
Common Weak Acids Common Weak Base
HC2H3O2 or CH3COOH NH3 ammonia
ace9c acid
H2CO3 carbonic acid
Some Weak Acids and Weak Bases

Ex Probs
Ion-Product Constant for Water
 Water as an Acid and Base
•  Water is amphoteric: can react as either an acid or
base

•  Water undergoes auto-ioniza9on:

H2O(l) + H2O(l) à H3O+ + OH-

•  For pure water, 25°C: [H3O+] = [OH–] = 1.0 × 10–7 M

•  Ion-product constant for water (Kw)

Kw = [H3O+] [OH–] = 1.0 × 10–14 at 25°C
*True for pure water and all aqueous solu9ons!
 Relationship between [H+] and [OH-]

We can relate [H+] and [OH-] through Kw:

Kw = [H+][OH–] = 1.0 x 10-14

for water and all aqueous solu9ons




 Definitions: Neutral, Acidic, Basic

•  Neutral solu9on: [H+] = [OH–]

•  Acidic solu9on: [H+] > [OH–]
•  Basic solu9on: [H+] < [OH–]

In each case, however,

Kw = [H+][OH–] = 1.0 × 10–14

for water and all aqueous solu9ons
Ex Probs
pH and pOH
 The pH Scale

pH = – log[H+]

•  A compact way to represent solu9on acidity.

eg. pH = - log (1.0 x 10-7 M) = 7

 Logarithmic Function

y = log x à 10y = x

pH = -log [H+]
-pH = log [H+] à 10-pH = [H+]


•  As [H+] increases, pH decreases.
 pH Range

pH 7 [H+] = [OH-] Neutral

pH < 7 [H+] > [OH-] Acidic
pH > 7 [H+] < [OH-] Basic
•  Lower the pH, more acidic the solu9on.
•  Higher the pH, more basic the solu9on.
pH Range

10-pH = [H+]

Every 9me pH drops
by 1, there is 10x
increase in [H+].
 Calculating pH and [H+]

•  To get pH from [H+]:

pH = -log [H+]

•  To get [H+] from pH:

pH = -log[H+]
-pH = log[H+]
Inverse log (-pH) = inverse log (log [H+])
Inverse log (-pH) = [H+]
OR 10-pH = [H+]
Ex Probs

 pOH


pH = -log[H+]

pOH = – log[OH-]



 Calculating pOH and [OH-]

•  To get pOH from [OH-]:

pH = -log [OH-]

•  To get [OH-] from pOH:
Inverse log (-pOH) = [OH-]
OR 10-pOH = [OH-]

Ex Probs

 Relationship Between pH and pOH

1.0 x 10-14 = [H+][OH–]

log 1.0 x 10-14 = log[H+] + log[OH–]

-14.00 = –log[H+] – log[OH–]

14.00 = log[H+] + log[OH–]


14.00 = pH + pOH
Ex Probs
 Equations for pH Calculation Problems

1.  pH = -log[H+] (analogous for pOH)

2.  Inv log [-pH]= [H+] (analogous for [OH–])
3.  1.0 × 10–14 = [H+][OH–]
4.  14.00 = pH + pOH

Ex probs
Determining pH in Laboratory
Buffers
 Buffers

•  Buffer: a solu9on that contains both an acid and

a base, thus resists pH change

•  Buffers contain significant amounts of both a
weak acid and its conjugate base.

•  The weak acid neutralizes added base.

The conjugate base neutralizes added acid.

•  Eg. of buffer: CH3COOH and CH3COO-

(CH3COO- comes from NaCH3COO)
Water vs. Buffer