Introduction to Acids and Bases
Terms
Acid
-
A substance that has the potential to donate a proton (H+) or accept
an electron pair.
Acidic
-
Having a pH less than 7.
Arrhenius Model
-
Arrhenius proposed that acids are substances that produce protons,
H+, in
aqueous solution, whereas bases produce hydroxide ions, OH-,
in aqueous
solution. Compare his model with the Bronsted-Lowry definition and the
Lewis
definition.
Base
-
A substance that can accept a proton, release OH-, or donate an
electron pair.
Bronsted-Lowry Definition
-
Bronsted and Lowry define an acid as a proton (H+) donor and a
base as a proton
acceptor. Compare this model with the Arrhenius Model and the Lewis
definition.
Buffer
-
A solution composed of an acid and its conjugate base that serves to
moderate the pH of the
solution.
Conjugate Acid
-
A molecule that can be described as a base that has gained one proton.
Conjugate Base
-
A molecule that can be described as an acid that has lost one proton.
Indicator
-
A molecule whose conjugate acid or conjugate base has a different
color. Indicators are used to measure the pH of a solution.
Lewis Definition
-
Lewis defined an acid as an electron pair acceptor and a base as an
electron pair donor. Compare
his model with the Arrhenius model and the Bronsted-Lowry
definition.
pH
-
A measure of the hydrogen ion concentration, it is equal to - log
[H+], where [H+] is the concentration of protons.
Redox
-
Short for "reduction-oxidation," a reaction that involves paired oxidation and
reduction processes described
in the
Electrochemistry
SparkNote.
Titration
-
An experiment that neutralizes an unknown amount of acid or base
with a known volume and concentration of acid or base to determine the amount of unknown acid or base.
