CHAPTER 2 :

WATER AND ACID-BASE SYSTEM

By: Dr. Mohd Fakharul Zaman

 Learning outcomes
Students should be able to :
 Recognize structure of molecule water
 Describe electronegativity and polarity
 Distinguish between hydrophilic and hydrophobic
 Compare acid and base
 Understand Henderson-Hesselbach equation
 Describe dissociation of carbonic acid in blood
Water (H2O) in
photosynthesis
and respiration
Solvent Properties of H2O
 A polar compound.
 Able to interact with other polar compounds.
 When amphiphatic compounds interact with water, they
tend to form micelle.

LO
 Electronegativity.
 Tendency of an atom to attract
electrons to itself in a chemical bond.

O
 Polarity.
 Difference of electronegativity
between two atoms giving rise to
partial charges.

H H

LO
Periodic table

O = 2.6
C = 2.4
Examples of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic
Substances
Hydrophilic Hydrophobic
Polar covalent compounds Nonpolar covalent compounds
such as low-molecular-weight such as hydrocarbons (e.g.,
alcohols (e.g., ethanol) and hexane and toluene)
ketones (e.g., acetone)

Sugars (e.g., glucose, sucros e) Fatty acids (e.g., palmitic

and stearic acids) and
cholesterol
Ionic compounds (e.g., KCl)
Amino acids and phos phate
es ters

LO
Hydrogen Bonding
hydro gen hydro gen
bond do no r bond a cceptor
R
O H O Wa ter a nd a
hydro xyl g ro up
H H
Wa ter a nd the carbo nyl group
O H O C o f an aldehyde, ketone, ca rboxylic
H a cid, es ter, or a m ide
R
An am ino g ro up and
N H O a hydro xyl g ro up
H Im portant
in
An am ino g ro up and
pro teins
N H O C a carbo nyl group
a nd
nucleic
An am ino g ro up and a cids
N H N a no ther nitro gen-
co ntaining g ro up
LO
Acids and Bases
 Definitions of acid :
 a substance which reacts with a base
 substances which increase the concentration of hydronium ions (H3O+)
in solution
 a substance which can act as a proton donor
 any compound which can easily be deprotonated

co njug a te acid-ba se pa ir
O O
+
CH3 COH + H2 O CH3 CO - + H3 O
Acid B a se Co njug a te ba se Co njug a te acid
o f acetic a cid o f water

co njug a te acid-ba se pa ir

H2SO4 + H2O HSO4 + H3O+

LO
 Ka = acid dissociation constant
 pKa = logarithmic form of acid dissociation constant
 strong acid = an acid that ionizes completely by losing one proton
 weak acid = an acid that ionizes incompletely releasing only some of its H
atoms
 conjugate acid = a chemical species formed by reception of a proton by a
base
 conjugate base = a chemical species formed by removal of a proton from an
acid
 pH = ???
pH = - log10 [H+] for strong acid
Henderson-Hasselbach equation for weak acid

Example:
Find the pH of a 0.03 M solution of hydrochloric acid, HCl
(Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid that dissociates according to a 1:1 molar ratio into
hydrogen cations and chloride anions. the concentration of hydrogen ions is exactly the
same as the concentration of the acid solution.)

[H+] = 0.03 M

pH = - log (0.03)
pH = 1.5
Water dissociation

H2O ↔ H+ + OH-

Kw = [H+][OH-] = 1x10-14 at 25°C

for pure water [H+] = [OH-] = 1x10-7
Acidic Solution: [H+] > 1x10-7
Basic Solution: [H+] < 1x10-7
Henderson-Hasselbalch equation
acid dissociation constant

lower pKa value

higher pKa value LO

 dissociation of a strong acid
 pH = pKa + log 10 ([0.03]/[0.03])
 pH = pKa + log 10 (1)
 pH = pKa + 0
 pH = pKa conclusion

Ka α 1/pH α 1/pKa
 log 10 (1) = 0
 100 = 1

 101 = 10

 102 = 100
 Significances of pH/acid-base concept
 Stable enzymatic reaction.
 Preparation of a buffer solution (Exp: phosphate
buffer) in laboratory
 Separation of protein samples by electrophoresis.
 Relation between blood pH and bicarbonate buffering
system.
Human respiration & Body buffer

LO
  normal ventilation can maintain blood pH balance
 hyperventilation can result in increased blood pH (more basic)
 hypoventilation can result in decreased blood pH (more acidic)

IN BLOOD CIRCULATION (whole body except lung organ)

Too little CO2
i) CO2 (g) CO2 (aq) (hyperventilation) in
blood stream may lead
ii) CO2 (aq) + H2O H2CO3 (aq) to a rise in blood pH
(respiratory alkalosis)
iii) H2CO3 (aq) H+ (aq) and HCO-3 (aq) which in turn causes
dizziness, headache
and body weakness.

Causes of hyperventilation:
IN ALVEOLUS OF LUNG ORGAN stress and anxiety

CO2 (aq) CO2 (g)

LO
Titration Curves
 Titration: an experiment in which measured amounts of acid (or base)
are added to measured amounts of base (or acid)

 Equivalence point: the point in an acid-base titration at which enough

acid has been added to exactly neutralize the base (or vice versa)

LO
Acid-Base Buffers
 Acid-base buffer: a solution which tend to resist
change in pH upon addition of either more acid or
more base
 consists of a weak acid and its conjugate base
 Examples of acid-base buffers are solutions
containing
 NaHCO3 (Carbonic acid)
 NaCl (saline buffer).
 Na2HPO4 (Phosphate buffered saline).

LO
What is buffer solution for ??

 To keep correct pH range for enzymatic/metabolic

reaction
 To keep correct pH range for human blood
 To keep correct pH range for fermentation process
 To calibrate pH meter in laboratory.
Focused summary
 Why is buffer solution so important ?
To keep or correct the pH range for enzyme/ metabolic reaction , pH of human
blood , pH for fermentation process and lastly to calibrate the pH meter in
laboratory.
 What happens to electropositivity and atomic radius as we move from the left
side to the right side of periodic table ?
Electropositivity decreases because of increase in ionization,

Atomic radius decreases because the force of attraction between nuclei and
electron increases

 Compare strong acid with weak acid.

 Strong acid ionizes completely while Weak acid ionizes partially.

 Explain the fates of carbonic acid in blood circulation and lung organ.
 Carbonic acid dissociates to bicarbonate and hydrogen ion in blood
circulation
General summary
Hyperventilation is caused by the accumulation of
carbonic acid in our respiratory system.

Non polar bond is a bond which 2 atoms share electrons

evenly,