Acid-Base Equilibria

Brønsted Acid-Base Theory

Brønsted argued that all acid-base reactions involve the transfer of an H+
ion, or proton.

According to this theory, an acid is a "proton donor" and a base is a

"proton acceptor."
Amphiprotic describes a substance that can both accept and donate a
proton or H+. An amphiprotic molecule has characteristics of both and
acid and a base and can act as either.
Power of Hydrogen, pH
pH is a measure of hydrogen ion concentration, a measure of
the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. The pH scale usually
ranges from 0 to 14.
• Aqueous solutions at 25°C with a pH less than 7 are acidic,
• While those with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline.
• A pH level of 7.0 at 25°C is defined as "neutral" because the
concentration of H3O+ equals the concentration of OH− in
pure water.
• Very strong acids might have a negative pH, while very
strong bases might have a pH greater than 14.
pH Equation

+
pH = -log[H ]
or
+ -pH
H = 10
where log is the base-10 logarithm and [H+] stands for the
hydrogen ion concentration in units of moles per liter
solution.
For basic solution

-
pOH = -log[OH ]
Or
+ -pH
H = 10
[OH-] stands for the hydroxide ion concentration in units of
moles per liter solution.
1. Calculate the pH of a solution with a hydrogen ion concentration of 0.0003
M.
2. What is the pH of a 0.0235M HCl solution?
3. What is the hydronium ion concentration of a solution which has a pH of 4?
4. What is the pOH of a 0.0235M HCl solution (acidic solution)?
5. What is the pH of a 6.50x 10-3M KOH solution?(Hint: this is a basic solution
–concentration is of OH
Henderson Hasselbalch Equation
pH = pKa + log ([A-]/[HA])
*pKa = - log[Ka]

Sample: a.) What is the pH of a buffer solution that is 0.5M in formic

acid (HCHO2) and 1.0M in sodium formate (NaCHO2)? The pKa for
formic acid is 3.74.
b.) What is the pH of a buffer solution that is 0.6M in acetic acid
(HC2H3O2) and 1.5M sodium acetate (NaC2H3O2)? The pKa for acetic acid
is 4.74.