Strong and weak acids and bases

692
Robert Johnston
Strong and weak acids and bases

A classification of acids and bases in chemistry depends on the ionization force of these substances in aqueous medium. A) Yes:

  • a acid and a base are strong when they are completely ionized, that is, in the ionization process they are completely transformed into cations or positive ions and into anions or negative ions.
  • On the other hand, an acid and a base are weak when they are partially ionized in water, that is, in solution there will be a proportion of cations, another proportion of anions and another proportion of undissociated molecules.
Strong acids and bases Weak acids and bases
Definition Substances that completely ionize in solution. Substances that partially ionize in solution.
Ionization Complete Partial
Elements in aqueous solution Cations and anions in the same concentration. Cations, anions and molecules in different proportions.
Ionization constant Elevated Little
Examples
  • Strong acids: hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, perchloric acid.
  • Strong bases: sodium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, rubidium hydroxide.
  • Weak acids: acetic acid, nitrous acid, phosphoric acid.
  • Weak bases: ammonia, methylamine, pyrimidine.

Strong acids and bases

A acid or a base are strong when in an aqueous medium they dissociate completely, that is, the ionization process is total and the solution will contain the same concentration of anions and cations.

How do you ionize a strong acid and base??

A strong acid, such as hydrochloric acid HCl, ionizes in the following ways:

A strong base, such as sodium hydroxide NaOH, ionizes in the following ways:

Examples of strong acids and their formulas

Strong acids Formula
Hydrochloric acid HCl
Sulfuric acid HtwoSW4
Nitric acid HNO3
Hydrobromic acid HBr
Perchloric acid HClO4
Chromic acid HtwoCrO4
Tetrafluroboric acid HBF4

Examples of strong bases and their formulas

Strong base Formula
Sodium hydroxide NaOH
Lithium hydroxide LiOH
Potassium hydroxide KOH
Rubidium hydroxide RbOH
Cesium hydroxide CsOH
Calcium hydroxide Ca (OH)two
Barium hydroxide Ba (OH)two
Strontium hydroxide Sr (OH)two
Aluminum hydroxide Al (OH)3

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Weak acids and bases

A acid or a base is weak when in aqueous solution it partially ionizes, that is, in the solution there are ions and non-ionized molecules.

How do you ionize an acid and a weak base??

A weak acid, such as acetic acid CH3COOH, is ionized in the following way:

The equilibrium of this reaction is expressed by the two arrows in opposite directions.

When a weak acid dissociates or ionizes, an equilibrium is established between the species present in the solution; this can be expressed by a ionization constant sour:

The ionization constant is nothing more than the ratio between the multiplication of the concentration of the products over the multiplication of the concentration of the reactants.

A weak base, such as NH ammonia3, ionizes in the following way:

When a weak base dissociates or ionizes, an equilibrium is established between the species present in the solution; this can be expressed by a base ionization constant:

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Examples of weak acids with their formula and acid ionization constant Kto

Weak acid Formula Ionization constant
Formic acid HtwoCOtwo 1.77 x 10-4
Acetic acid H3CCOH 1.75 x 10-5
Hydrocyanic acid HOCN 3.30 x 10-4
Hydrogen cyanide HCN 6.20 x 10-10
Hypochlorous acid HOCl 3.50 x 10-8
Nitrous acid HNOtwo 4.00 x 10-4
Lactic acid HC3H5OR3 1.40 x 10-4
Carbonic acid HtwoCO3

4.30 x 10-7

5.60 x 10-eleven

Boric acid H3BO3

5.80 x 10-10

1.80 x 10-13

3.00 x 10-14

Examples of weak bases with their formula and basic ionization constant Kb

Weak base Formula Ionization constant
Ammonia NH3 1.75 x 10-5
Methylamine CH3NHtwo 4.38 x 10-4
Ethylamine CtwoH5NHtwo 5.60 x 10-4
Aniline C6H5NHtwo 3.80 x 10-10
Pyridine C5H5N 1.70 x 10-9
Benzylamine C7H9N 2.20 x 10-5
Sodium bicarbonate NaHCO 2.00 x 10-4

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