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Chapter 4: Problem 19

What is an acid and what is a base? An acid-base reaction is sometimes called a proton-transfer reaction. Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
An acid is a substance that can donate a proton (H⁺ ion) to another substance, while a base is a substance that can accept a proton (H⁺ ion) from another substance. A proton-transfer reaction is a chemical reaction that involves the transfer of a proton from one substance to another. In acid-base reactions, acids donate protons to bases, making these reactions a type of proton-transfer reaction. For example, in the reaction between hydrochloric acid (HCl) and ammonia (NH₃), HCl donates a proton to NH₃, forming ammonium (NH₄⁺) and chloride (Cl⁻) ions.

Step by step solution

01

Define an acid

An acid is a substance that can donate a proton (H⁺ ion) to another substance. Acids are known for their sour taste, like citric acid in lemons or acetic acid in vinegar. There are two main theories on defining acids: Arrhenius and Bronsted-Lowry. However, in both these theories, acids donate protons to other substances.
02

Define a base

A base is a substance that can accept a proton (H⁺ ion) from another substance. Bases have a bitter taste, like in baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or ammonia. Similar to acids, there are two main theories for defining bases: Arrhenius and Bronsted-Lowry. In both these theories, bases accept protons from other substances.
03

Explain the term "proton-transfer reaction"

A proton-transfer reaction is a chemical reaction that involves the transfer of a proton (H⁺ ion) from one substance to another. In this type of reaction, one substance loses a proton while the other substance gains a proton.
04

Relate "proton-transfer reaction" to acid-base reactions

Acid-base reactions involve the transfer of protons from one substance (the acid) to another (the base). This is because, as we defined earlier, acids donate protons (H⁺ ions) and bases accept protons. Therefore, an acid-base reaction can also be described as a proton-transfer reaction. For example, consider the reaction between hydrochloric acid (HCl) and ammonia (NH₃): \(HCl + NH_3 \rightarrow NH_4^+ + Cl^-\) In this reaction, HCl (the acid) donates a proton to NH₃ (the base), forming ammonium (NH₄⁺) and chloride (Cl⁻) ions. Thus, an acid-base reaction occurred, involving the transfer of a proton from HCl to NH₃.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A solution is prepared by dissolving \(0.6706 \mathrm{~g}\) oxalic acid \(\left(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{4}\right)\) in enough water to make \(100.0 \mathrm{~mL}\) of solution. \(\mathrm{A}\) \(10.00-\mathrm{mL}\) aliquot (portion) of this solution is then diluted to a final volume of \(250.0 \mathrm{~mL}\). What is the final molarity of the oxalic acid solution?

A \(1.42-\mathrm{g}\) sample of a pure compound, with formula \(\mathrm{M}_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4}\), was dissolved in water and treated with an excess of aqueous calcium chloride, resulting in the precipitation of all the sulfate ions as calcium sulfate. The precipitate was collected, dried, and found to weigh \(1.36 \mathrm{~g}\). Determine the atomic mass of \(\mathrm{M}\), and identify \(\mathrm{M}\).

Assign oxidation numbers to all the atoms in each of the following. a. \(\mathrm{SrCr}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{7}\) b. \(\mathrm{CuCl}_{2}\) c. \(\mathrm{O}_{2}\) d. \(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{2}\) e. \(\mathrm{MgCO}_{3}\) f. \(\mathrm{Ag}\) g. \(\mathrm{PbSO}_{3}\) h. \(\mathrm{PbO}_{2}\) i. \(\mathrm{Na}_{2} \mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{4}\) j. \(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\) k. \(\left(\mathrm{NH}_{4}\right)_{2} \mathrm{Ce}\left(\mathrm{SO}_{4}\right)_{3}\) l. \(\mathrm{Cr}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\)

Citric acid, which can be obtained from lemon juice, has the molecular formula \(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{3} \mathrm{O}_{7} .\) A \(0.250-\mathrm{g}\) sample of citric acid dissolved in \(25.0 \mathrm{~mL}\) of water requires \(37.2 \mathrm{~mL}\) of \(0.105 \mathrm{M}\) \(\mathrm{NaOH}\) for complete neutralization. What number of acidic hydrogens per molecule does citric acid have?

The zinc in a \(1.343-g\) sample of a foot powder was precipitated as \(\mathrm{ZnNH}_{4} \mathrm{PO}_{4} .\) Strong heating of the precipitate yielded \(0.4089 \mathrm{~g} \mathrm{Zn}_{2} \mathrm{P}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{7} .\) Calculate the mass percent of zinc in the sample of foot powder.
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