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Acids, Bases & Salts

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Acids, Bases & Salts

Acid

A substance that donates protons, produces hydrogen ions in water, or accepts a pair of electrons.

HA → H⁺ + A⁻ Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Acid Dissociation Constant

The equilibrium constant for the ionisation of an acid in water, measuring its strength.

Ka = [H⁺][A⁻] / [HA] mol/L
Acids, Bases & Salts

Acid Strength and Molecular Structure

The structural factors that determine how readily a molecule releases a proton.

Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Acidic Buffer

A buffer made from a weak acid and one of its salts, giving a pH below 7.

pH = pKa + log([salt]/[acid]) Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Acidic Salt

A salt whose aqueous solution has a pH below 7, or one that still contains replaceable hydrogen.

Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Acidic Solution

A solution in which the hydrogen ion concentration exceeds the hydroxide ion concentration.

[H⁺] > [OH⁻] mol/L
Acids, Bases & Salts

Acid–Base Indicator

A weak acid or base whose conjugate forms have distinctly different colours, used to signal the end point of a titration.

HIn ⇌ H⁺ + In⁻ Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Acid–Base Titration

A titration in which an acid is neutralised by a base, or the reverse, monitored by an indicator or a pH meter.

M_aV_a / n_a = M_bV_b / n_b mol/L
Acids, Bases & Salts

Amphiprotic Species

A species that can both donate and accept a proton.

Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Amphoteric Substance

A substance able to react as either an acid or a base depending on what it meets.

Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Arrhenius Theory

The theory defining an acid as a substance that produces H⁺ ions in water and a base as one that produces OH⁻ ions.

HA → H⁺ + A⁻; BOH → B⁺ + OH⁻ Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Base

A substance that accepts protons, produces hydroxide ions in water, or donates a pair of electrons.

B + H⁺ → BH⁺ Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Base Dissociation Constant

The equilibrium constant for the reaction of a base with water to produce hydroxide ions.

Kb = [BH⁺][OH⁻] / [B] mol/L
Acids, Bases & Salts

Basic Buffer

A buffer made from a weak base and one of its salts, giving a pH above 7.

pOH = pKb + log([salt]/[base]) Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Basic Salt

A salt whose aqueous solution has a pH above 7, or one that retains a hydroxide group.

Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Basic Solution

A solution in which the hydroxide ion concentration exceeds the hydrogen ion concentration.

[OH⁻] > [H⁺] mol/L
Acids, Bases & Salts

Brønsted–Lowry Theory

The theory defining an acid as a proton donor and a base as a proton acceptor.

HA + B ⇌ A⁻ + BH⁺ Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Buffer Capacity

The amount of strong acid or base a buffer can absorb before its pH changes appreciably.

β = dn / d(pH) mol/L
Acids, Bases & Salts

Buffer Range

The span of pH values over which a buffer works effectively, conventionally one unit either side of its pKa.

pH = pKa ± 1 Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Buffer Solution

A solution that resists changes in pH when small amounts of acid or base are added.

Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Complex Salt

A salt containing a complex ion that retains its identity in solution rather than dissociating into simpler ions.

e.g. K₄[Fe(CN)₆] Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Conjugate Acid–Base Pair

Two species differing by exactly one proton, one being the acid and the other its corresponding base.

HA / A⁻ Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Degree of Hydrolysis

The fraction of a salt's ions that have reacted with water at equilibrium.

h = √(Kh / c) Dimensionless
Acids, Bases & Salts

Degree of Ionisation

The fraction of dissolved electrolyte molecules that have broken into ions at equilibrium.

α = ionised / total Dimensionless