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Acids & Bases

An acid is any chemical that will
react with a base
There are 3 types of acids and
bases that we commonly identify:
o Arrhenius acids & bases
o Brnsted-Lowry acids &
bases
o Lewis acids & bases
Arrhenius acids dissociate in
solution to yield H
+
ions
o i.e. HCl
Arrhenius bases dissociate in
solution to yield OH
-
ions
o i.e. NaOH


Arrhenius Acids and Bases
Arrhenius acids, like HCl, form H
+
ions in
solution. Arrhenius bases, like NaOH, form OH
-

ions in solution.

During our studies of acids and
bases, we will come across the
hydronium ion: H
3
O
+

o When you see it, treat it
as a H
+
ion
Also, a H
+
ion is a hydrogen
atom thats lost its only electron
o That leaves behind just a
proton, and so H
+
ions are
commonly called protons
Brnsted-Lowry acids donate H
+

ions; they are proton donors
Brnsted-Lowry bases accept H
+

ions; they are proton acceptors
In a reaction between HCl and
NaHCO
3
, the HCl donates a
proton to NaHCO
3

o This makes HCl a
Brnsted-Lowry acid and
NaHCO
3
a Brnsted-
Lowry base


Brnsted-Lowry Acid/Base Reaction
In a reaction between HCl and NaHCO
3
, HCl
acts as a proton donor and NaHCO
3
acts as a
proton acceptor. This makes HCl a Brnsted-
Lowry acid and NaHCO
3
a Brnsted-Lowry
base.

From the above illustration,
notice that HCl yields H+ ions in
solution
o So, in addition to being a
Brnsted-Lowry acid, its
also an Arrhenius acid
But also notice that NaHCO
3

does not yield OH
-
ions in
solution
o So it is not an Arrhenius
base
Lewis acids are electron
acceptors
Lewis bases are electron donors
As a mnemonic, recall that Lewis
deals with electrons
Again consider the reaction
between HCl and NaHCO
3

o Notice that NaHCO
3
acts
as an electron donor,
making it a Lewis base
o And, HCl acts as an
electron acceptor, making
it a Lewis acid

Types of Acids and Bases | MCAT
J Co Review, Inc., Accessed by jadie2@mac.com on 06-01-2014

2

Lewis Acid/Base Reaction
In the reaction between HCl and NaHCO
3
,
sodium bicarbonate acts as an electron donor,
making it a Lewis base. HCl, the recipient of
those electrons, is an electron acceptor, making it
a Lewis acid.

All Arrhenius acids/bases are
Brnsted-Lowry acids/bases
And, all Brnsted-Lowry
acids/bases are Lewis acids/bases


Acid/Base Type Overlap
All Arrhenius acids/bases are Brnsted-Lowry
acids/base, which are all Lewis acids/bases.

Conjugate Pairs
Again take a look at the reaction
between HCl and NaHCO
3



Reaction between HCl and NaHCO
3


An acid- HCl- reacts with a base-
NaHCO
3
-
If the reaction is run in reverse,
notice that H
2
CO
3
would act as
an acid by donating a proton to
NaCl
o This makes H
2
CO
3
an
acid and NaCl a base
So during the acid/base reaction,
our acid becomes a base, and our
base becomes an acid
o When an acid reacts, we
say that it becomes its
conjugate base
o Likewise, when a base
reacts, it becomes its
conjugate acid
Together, an acid and its
conjugate base are known as a
conjugate pair


Conjugate Pairs
When HCl reacts, it becomes its conjugate base-
NaCl. When NaHCO
3
reacts, it becomes its
conjugate acid- H
2
CO
3
.

In general, conjugate acids and
bases differ by just a H
+

But then why are HCl & NaCl
conjugates? They differ by more
than a H
+

o In solution, positively
charged ions like Na
+
and
K
+
rapidly dissociate, so
in actuality, that NaCl
would quickly become a
Cl
-

Once you recognize that NaCl
dissociates, its easy to see that
HCl and Cl
-
differ by only a H
+

ion, making them conjugates

Conjugate Acid/Base Strengths
Strong acids have weak
conjugate bases, and vice versa
o After all, a strong acid
really wants to donate its
hydrogen
Types of Acids and Bases | MCAT
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3
o Once the H
+
is donated,
the molecule wont want
the H
+
back
Itll be a poor
hydrogen
acceptor, making
it a weak base


Acid/Base Conjugate Strengths
A strong acid will have a weak conjugate base,
and vice versa.

Look back at our reaction
between HCl and NaHCO
3

o Notice that NaHCO
3
is a
weak base, meaning that
its conjugate acid will be
strong


Acid/Base Conjugate Strengths
NaHCO
3
is a weak base, and so its conjugate
acid, H
2
CO
3
, must be strong.

Its no surprise that H
2
CO
3
is a
strong acid
o After all, it has 2 protons
to donate

Amphoteric Substances
Amphoteric substances are
capable of acting as acids or
bases, depending upon their
environment
In a highly basic environment,
water is acidic relative to its
environment
o It will be capable of
donating a proton,
becoming OH
-

In a highly acidic environment,
water will be basic relative to its
environment
o It will be capable of
accepting a proton,
becoming H
3
O
+

o
Types of Acids and Bases | MCAT
J Co Review, Inc., Accessed by jadie2@mac.com on 06-01-2014