21.1. Acid-Base Definitions http://www.ck12.org
- Bases do not react with metals in the way that acids do.
- Bases react with acids to produce a salt and water.
FIGURE 21.2
Litmus paper has been treated with the
plant dye called litmus. It turns red in
the presence of an acid and blue in the
presence of a base.Arrhenius Acids and Bases
Swedish chemist, Svante Arrhenius (1859-1927), was the first to propose a theory to explain the observed behavior
of acids and bases. Because of their ability to conduct a current, he knew that both acids and bases contained ions
in solution. AnArrhenius acidis a compound which ionizes to yield hydrogen ions (H+) in aqueous solution. An
Arrhenius baseis a compound which ionizes to yield hydroxide ions (OH−) in aqueous solution.
Arrhenius Acids
Acids are molecular compounds with ionizable hydrogen atoms. Only hydrogen atoms that are part of a highly polar
covalent bond are ionizable. Hydrogen chloride (HCl) is a gas at room temperature and pressure. The H-Cl bond in
hydrogen chloride is a polar bond. The hydrogen atom is electron deficient because of the higher electronegativity
of the chlorine atom. Consequently, the hydrogen atom is attracted to the lone pair of electrons in a water molecule
when HCl is dissolved in water. The result is that the H-Cl bond breaks, with both bonding electrons remaining
with the Cl, forming a chloride ion. The H+ion attaches to the water molecule, forming a polyatomic ion called the
hydronium ion. Thehydronium ion (H 3 O+)can be thought of asa water molecule with an attached hydrogen ion.
Equations showing the ionization of an acid in water are frequently simplified by omitting the water molecule.
HCl(g)→H+(aq) + Cl−