Acids and Bases

Properties of Acids:
• They have a sour taste
• They change the colors of many indicators
• Acids turn blue litmus to red
• Acids turn bromothymol blue from blue to yellow
• They react with metals to generate hydrogen, H2(g)
• Acidic aqueous solutions conduct electricity.
Acids and Bases
Properties of Bases:
• They have a bitter taste
• They have a slippery feeling.
• They change the colors of many indicators
• Bases turn red litmus to blue.
• Bases turn bromothymol blue from yellow to
blue.
• They react with acids to form salts and water.
• Aqueous basic solutions conduct electricity.
Acids and Bases
Amphoterism
• Some compounds act as both acid or base. These
compounds are amphoteric
Al(OH)3 + 3H+ -> Al3+ + 3H2O
Al(OH)3 + OH- -> Al(OH)4-
• Oxides and hydroxides of metalloids are considered
to be amphoteric
Acids and Bases
Arrhenius Theory
• Acid – produces H+ in solution
• Base – produces OH- in solution

HCl -> H+ + Cl- HCl is an acid

NaOH -> Na+ + OH- NaOH is a base
NH3 + H2O -> NH4+ + OH- NH3 is a base
NH3 + CH3OH -> NH4+ + CH3O- NH3 is not a base

• Arrhenius theory does not handle non OH- bases like NH3
very well
Acids and Bases
Bronsted Lowry Theory
Proton = H+
• Acid – proton donor
• Base – proton acceptor

HCl + NaOH -> H2O + NaCl HCl-acid NaOH-base

• Acids and bases are always defined in the context

of a chemical reaction
Acids and Bases
• A compound may act as an acid in one reaction,
and as a base in a different reaction

H+ + NH3 -> NH4+ + Cl- NH3 is a base

OH- + NH3 -> NH2- + H2O NH3 is an acid
Acids and Bases
• When an acid loses a proton, it wants it back, so it
turns into a base
• When a base gains a proton it wants to get rid of it,
so it turns into an acid
• This is called conjugate acid base pairing
Acid Base Acid Base
HCl + NH3 -> NH4+ + Cl-
OH- + NH3 -> NH2- + H2O
Base Acid Base Acid
Acids and Bases
• A strong acid produces a weak conjugate base
• HCl – strong acid Cl- – weak base
• A weak acid produces a strong conjugate base
• NH3 – weak acid NH2- – strong base
• A strong base produces a weak conjugate acid
• OH- – strong base H2O – weak acid
• A weak base produces a strong conjugate acid
• NH3 – weak base NH4+ – strong acid
Acids and Bases
• Acid base reactions proceeds in the direction that
produces weaker acids and bases

HCl + NaOH -> NaCl + H2O forward favored

NaClO3 + H2O -> HClO3 + NaOH reverse favored
OH- + NH3 -> NH2- + H2O reverse favored

• If the reverse reaction is favored, when the

reactants are mixed together, very little or nothing
happens
Acids and Bases
Relative Strengths of
Acids and Bases
• Strong acids and bases
dissociate completely
• Weak acids and bases
don’t dissociate
completely
• Relative strength is
derived from the ease
of dissociation
Acids and Bases
Acids and Bases
Relative Strengths of Acids and Bases
• The strength of the acid is directly proportional to
the strength of the H-X bond
• HF < HCl < HBr < HI (longer bond = weaker bond)
• H2O << H2S < H2Se < H2Te
• H2O < HF, H2S < HCl, H2Se < HBr, H2Te < HI
(lower charge = weaker bond)
Acids and Bases
Relative Strengths of Acids and Bases
• Electronegative elements which pull electron
density weakens bonds, and makes acids stronger
Acids and Bases
Relative Strengths of Acids and Bases
• For oxo-acids, the more =O, the stronger the acid
• The more electronegative the central atom the
stronger the acid

The positive charge on the central atom

withdraws electron density from O weakening
the O-H bond

The weaker the O-H bond, the stronger the acid

Acids and Bases
Relative Strengths of Acids and Bases
• For oxo-acids, the more O-H, the weaker the acid
• Weakening multiple bonds makes each bond less
weak
Acids and Bases
The Autoionization of Water
• Water will react with itself to produce equal
amounts of H3O+ and OH-
H2O + H2O -> H3O+ + OH-
• Water will dissociate to produce H+ and OH-
H2O -> H+ + OH-
Acids and Bases
The Autoionization of Water
• The dissociation of water can be described by an
equilibrium constant Kw
H2O -> H+ + OH- Kw = [H+][OH-] = 10-14
• The equilibrium constant Kw sets the pH scale of
water from 0 to 14
[H+][OH-] = 10-14
-log([H+][OH-]) = -log10-14
-log[H+] + -log[OH-] = 14log10
Let -log[H+] = pH and -log[OH-] = pOH
pH + pOH = 14
Acids and Bases
The pH of solution
• The pH gives the acidity of a solution
• pH < 7 is acidic
• pH > 7 is basic
• pH = 7 is neutral
• pH of acids are obtained from [H+]
• pH = -log[H+]
• pH of bases are obtained from [OH-]
• pOH = -log[OH-]
• pH = 14 - pOH
Acids and Bases
The Leveling Effect of Water
• The strongest acid which can exist in water is H3O+
• Any acid stronger than H3O+ will protonate water to
produce H3O+
• A solution in water cannot have a pH less than 0
• The strongest base which can exist in water is OH-
• Any base stronger than OH- will deprotonate water to
produce OH-
• A solution in water cannot have a pH greater than 14
Acids and Bases
The Lewis Theory
Acid – electron pair acceptor
Base – electron pair donor
Acids and Bases
The Coordinate Covalent Bond
• Lewis bases donate electron pairs into an empty
orbital
• This forms a coordinate covalent bond
• Covalent bond = 1 e- from each atom
• Coordinate covalent bond = 2 e- from one atom (the
base), an empty orbital from another (the acid)
• The resulting compound is called an adduct (non-
metal acids), or a complex (metallic acids)
Acids and Bases
• Metal ions are considered
to be Lewis acids
• When in water, they form
coordinate covalent
bonds with the solvent
• Coordinated Lewis bases
are called ligands
• The resulting compound
is called a complex
Acids and Bases
• Metal ion complexes
are acidic because the
positive metal ion pulls
electron density from
the O atom
• This weakens the O-H
bond
Acids and Bases
• The acidity of metal ions
are dependent on the
charge density
• Larger charge = more acidic
• Smaller size = more acidic
• Metal ions in solution are
considered weak acids
Acids and Bases
Relative Strengths of Lewis Bases
• Stronger bases will displace weaker bases from
complexes
Cu(H2O)62+ + 4NH3 -> Cu(NH3)42+ + 6H2O
• Base strength is inversely proportional to
electronegativity
• Electronegative elements tend to hold on to electrons
• Lone pairs on N, and C are more easily donated than
lone pairs on O or F
• CN- > NH3 > H2O > F-
Acids and Bases
• Electron withdrawing groups make bases weaker

• Electron withdrawing groups make acids stronger