Solutions of weak acids and weak bases reach a chemical equilibrium between the un-ionized form of the compound and the dissociated ions. Any acid or base whose molecules are not all dissociated into ions in aqueous solution is a weak acid or a weak base. Sodium hydroxide is an example of a strong base. Similarly, a strong base is a base whose molecules are dissociated into ions in aqueous solution.

Hydrochloric acid is an example of a strong acid. A strong acid is an acid whose molecules are all dissociated into ions in aqueous solution. Not all acids and bases are equal in chemical strength. This process is called the autoionization of water and occurs in any sample of water. One result of water being amphiprotic is that a water molecule can donate a proton to another water molecule to make a hydronium ion and a hydroxide ion. Water is one example of an amphiprotic compound. Some compounds can either donate or accept protons, depending on the circumstances. The reaction of ammonia with water to make ammonium ions and hydroxide ions can be used to illustrate Brønsted-Lowry acid and base behavior. A Brønsted-Lowry base is any substance that accepts a proton from another substance. The principles of stoichiometry, along with the balanced chemical equation for a reaction between an acid and a base, can be used to determine how much of one compound will react with a given amount of the other.Ī Brønsted-Lowry acid is any substance that donates a proton to another substance. Acids and bases react together in a characteristic chemical reaction called neutralization, in which the products are water and a salt. While most bases are named as ionic hydroxide compounds, aqueous acids have a naming system unique to acids.

An Arrhenius base is a compound that increases the amount of hydroxide ion (OH −) in aqueous solution. The earliest chemical definition of an acid, the Arrhenius definition, says that an acid is a compound that increases the amount of hydrogen ion (H +) in aqueous solution. To ensure that you understand the material in this chapter, you should review the meanings of the bold terms in the following summary and ask yourself how they relate to the topics in the chapter.

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