Acids and Bases

Learning outcomes
 Define an acid or base in terms of the Arrhenius, Bronsted-Lowry
and Lewis models
 Distinguish between strong/ weak acid/base.
 Identify conjugate acid-base pairs and label these in a reaction.
 Explain the significance of Kw, the ion- product constant of water.
 Define the pH of a solution and perform simple calculations of pH
and pOH for strong acids and bases.


Background on Acids and Bases

 We use our taste buds to detect each of the five tastes i.e. bitter, sweet,
sour, salty and savour.
 Foods containing acids such as vinegar and many fruits, have a sour
taste. These foods have a low pH.
 In contrast, foods that are bitter generally have a higher pH due to the
presence of basic amine groups that are common in bitter compounds.
 The pH of foods affects their potential shelf life.
 For example, foods that have a low pH (high-acid foods) resist the
growth of bacteria and require less thermal treatment for pasteurization
and commercial sterilization. A minimum pH of 4.6 is used as a
standard for acidified foods.
 Foods such as ketchup and pickles must be acidified to a pH less than
4.6 to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum and other bacterial
pathogens.
 Expectation is that you already have a basic and general
understanding of acids, bases and pH.
Definition of Acid and Base

Arrhenius Theory: An acid is a substance that produce hydrogen ions (H+) when
dissolved in water, and a base is a substance that produce Hydroxide ions (OH–)
when dissolved in water
Bronsted-Lowry Theory: An acid is a substance that donates H+ and a base is a
substance that accepts H+
Conjugate Acid and Conjugate Base: In the Bronsted-Lowry theory, the conjugate
base is the chemical substance formed after an acid loses a proton (H+) and a
conjugate acid is the chemical substance formed when a base accepts a proton.

 The acid turns to the conjugate base, and

 The base turns to the conjugate acid

Strong Acid Vs Strong Base

An acid that completely ionizes when dissolved in water is called a strong acid.

Similarly, a base that completely ionizes when dissolved in water is called a strong base

Strong Acids Strong Bases

Sulfuric acid – H2SO4 Lithium hydroxide – LiOH
Hydrochloric acid – HCl Sodium hydroxide – NaOH
Nitric acid – HNO3 Potassium hydroxide – KOH
Perchloric acid – HClO4 Rubidium hydroxide – RbOH
Chloric acid – HClO3 Cesium hydroxide – CsOH
Hydrobromic acid – HBr Calcium hydroxide – Ca(OH)2
Hydroiodic acid – HI Strontium hydroxide – Sr(OH)2
Understanding pH

The pH scale is a numerical scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of a solution.
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral, below 7 acidic, and above 7
basic.
The pH of a solution is determined by the concentration of hydrogen ions in the
solution.
 The pH of a substance is a measure of its H+ concentration.
 The higher the H+ concentration, the more acidic it is and hence the lower its ph.
PH ranges from 0 to 14.
 pH is a logarithmic scale which means that each interval differs by a factor of 10.
 pH is calculated as the negative log of the concentration of hydrogen ions present
in the substance, i.e.

𝒑𝑯 = −𝒍𝒐𝒈[𝑯+]
You will also see this equation:

𝒑𝑯 = −𝒍𝒐𝒈[𝑯𝟑𝑶+]
If you are asked to calculate [H3O+], give a certain pH, you can convert the above
equation to
[𝑯𝟑 𝑶+ ] = 𝟏𝟎−𝒑𝑯

N/B: H3O+ (hydronium ion) is equivalent to H+ once hydrogen is in water (aqueous),

therefore H3O+ and H+ are often used interchangeably.
When the concentration of H+ ions in acids is very small, the number is converted to
pH, which is an easier number to work with.
For example, if the concentration of H+ = 1.7 X 10-3 M,
𝑝𝐻 = −𝑙𝑜𝑔[1.7 𝑋 10−3 ] = 𝟐. 𝟕𝟕

The pH of pure water at 23oC is 7.0. This is because the concentration of H+ = 1.0 X
10-7 M.
Therefore,
𝑝𝐻 = −𝑙𝑜𝑔[1.0 𝑋 10−7 ] = 𝟕. 𝟎
The pH of an acid will not necessarily tell you how strong the acid is.
Strong acids are those that dissociate completely in water while weak acids just
partially dissociate.
To know how much the acid will dissociate, you needed to know the acid dissociation
constant (Ka).
A high Ka means strong dissociation and hence strong acid. Alternately, a low
Ka means poor dissociation and hence weak acid.
Ka is calculated as the concentration of hydrogen multiplied by the concentration of
the conjugate base, divided by the concentration of the undissociated acid; i.e.

[𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑠] [𝐻 + ][𝐴− ]
𝐾𝑎 = =
[𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠] [𝐻𝐴]

Note: Based on this equation, the Ka is the ratio of the amount of acid that is
dissociated to the amount of acid that is not dissociated.

As we saw with the concentration of H+, the Ka is generally a very small number.
Therefore, it can be converted to pKa by taking the negative log of the Ka to give a
simpler number, i.e.,
𝒑𝑲𝒂 = −𝒍𝒐𝒈[𝑲𝒂]
For example the Ka of acetic acid = 1.6 x 10-5,
𝑝𝐾𝑎 = −𝑙𝑜𝑔[1.6 𝑥 10−5 ] = 4.8
You can convert pKa to Ka using the formula:

𝑲𝒂 = 𝟏𝟎−𝒑𝒌𝒂
There is an inverse relationship between the pKa and the Ka. Therefore, strong
acids (high Ka) will have a low pKa and weak acids will have a high pKa.

Earlier, you saw that pH can be calculated when you have the concentration of H +.
You can also calculate the pH when you have the pKa along with the concentration of
the conjugate base and the concentration of the undissociated acid. See equation
below, known as the Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation:

Buffer Solutions

The pH of most solutions will change drastically when a small amount of acid or base
is added. This can be undesirable especially when working with enzymes in the lab.
Drastic pH changes will cause them to denature. Therefore, buffers are used to
“protect” enzymes from denaturation. Buffers undergo very little change in pH when
acids and bases are added. They are able to achieve this by neutralizing any base or
acid that is added to the solution. The figure below shows how they work.

Buffers consist of nearly equal concentrations of an acid (in this case acetic acid) and
its conjugate base. They will not neutralize each other since they are in equilibrium,
but other acids or basses added to the buffer will be neutralized. In the figure, notice
that when an acid (H3O+) is added, it is neutralized by the conjugate base and when a
base (OH–) is added, it is neutralized by the acid. The result is only a small or no
change in pH.
Calculating pH , pOH and concentration

To calculate the pH of an aqueous solution you need to know the concentration of the
hydronium ion in moles per liter. The pH is then calculated using the expression:

pH = - log [H3O+].

The hydronium ion concentration can be found from the pH by the reverse of the
mathematical operation employed to find the pH.

[H3O+] = 10-pH or [H3O+] = antilog (- pH)

To calculate the pOH of a solution you need to know the concentration of the hydroxide
ion in moles per liter (molarity). The pOH is then calculated using the expression:

pOH = - log [OH-]

The hydroxide ion concentration can be found from the pOH by the reverse
mathematical operation employed to find the pOH.

[OH-] = 10-pOH or [OH-] = antilog ( - pOH)

The pH and pOH of a water solution at 25oC are related by the following equation.

pH + pOH = 14

Calculating Ka Kb pKa pKb

The pKa is calculated using the expression:

pKa = - log (Ka)

where "Ka" is the equilibrium constant for the ionization of the acid.

The Ka for an acid is calculated from the pKa by performing the reverse of the
mathematical operation used to find pKa.

Ka = 10-pKa or Ka = antilog ( - pKa)

The pKb is calculated using the expression:

pKb = - log (Kb)

The Kb for an acid is calculated from the pKb by performing the reverse of the
mathematical operation used to find pKb.

Kb = 10-pKb or Kb = antilog ( - pKb)