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General Chemistry 2
Quarter 4 - Module 3
Acid – Base Equilibria

Name of Learner:
Grade & Section:
Name of School:

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 Module Acid – Base Equilibria
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What I Need to Know

The characteristic properties of acids and bases have been recognized by
scientist way back from the earliest days of experimental chemistry. Acids were
described as having a sour taste whereas bases have a bitter taste. The term
base comes from the old English word which means “to bring low”. The base
“lowers” the amount of acid when a base is added to an acid. Indeed, when
acids and bases are mixed in certain proportions, their characteristic properties
change altogether.
This module will examine the acid-base properties of water and discuss
the ion-product constant for the autoionization of water to give H + and OH-
ions. We will also examine how the acidity of a solution depends on the relative
concentrations of H+ and OH- ions.
After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Define Bronsted acids and bases (STEM_GC11ABIVf-g-153);

2. Discuss the acid-base property of water (STEM_GC11ABIVf-g-
154); and
3. Calculate ph from the concentration of hydrogen ion or
hydroxide ions in aqueous solutions (STEM_GC11ABIVf-g-156)

What’s In
/5
Activity 1: THINK AND PREDICT
Directions: Specify which direction the equilibrium will shift when the stress given in
the second column is applied to the corresponding system (reaction) given in the first
column. In the space provided before the number, write L if the reaction will shift to
the left, R for right, and NC if there will be no change.

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 What’s New
ACTIVITY 2: FIND THE RIGHT ONE /7
Directions: From the structures, decide which reactant behaves as a Brønsted–
Lowry acid and a Brønsted–Lowry base. Box the molecule that you think acts as a
Brønsted–Lowry acid and circle the molecule that you think acts as a Brønsted–
Lowry base.

Guide Questions:

1. Does the boxed molecule lose H+ proton during reaction? □ Yes □No
2. Does the circled molecule gain H + proton during reaction? □ Yes □No

ACTIVITY 3: LET’S INVESTIGATE

Directions: Based on the figure below, write TRUE if the statement is true and
FALSE if the statement is false.

The acidity or basicity of a solution can be described in terms of its H+

concentration by a term called pH. The figure below shows the relationship
between pH and [H+]:

1. The pH increases by one unit when the concentration of H+

decreases by a power of 10.

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 2. The higher the pH, the less acidic the solution.
3. Most aqueous solutions have hydrogen ion concentrations
between 1 and 10-14 M and hence have a pH between 0 -14
4. Acidity is inversely related to pH.
5. When [H+] = [OH-] = 1.0 x 10-7 M; the pH 7.00.

What is it
BrØnsted-Lowry Acids and Bases

Johannes Brønsted, a Danish chemist (1879–1947) and Thomas Lowry,

an English chemist (1874–1936) developed the BrØnsted-Lowry Acid-Base Model
which focuses acid–base reactions specifically on the mechanisms of
transferring H+ ions from one component to another. Brønsted and Lowry
defined acids and bases in terms of their capacity to transfer protons. The
model considers that

 Acid is a substance, either a molecule or an ion, which donates a proton to

another substance.
 Base is a substance that accepts a proton.
 In an acid-base reaction, a proton is transferred from an acid to a base.

The hydrated proton, represented by the notations H+ (hydrogen ion) and

H 3O +(hydronium), is accountable for the distinctive properties of aqueous
solutions of acids. These notations can be used interchangeably.
To demonstrate the mechanism of the Bronsted-Lowry model, consider
for example the reaction that occurs when hydrochloric acid (HCl) dissolves in
water (H2O). The hydrochloric acid (HCl) molecule transfers a hydrogen ion (H+)
ion (a proton) to the water molecule. The reaction occurring between an HCl
molecule and a H2O molecule to form hydronium and chloride ions is
represented below:

As observed in the figure above, when HCl dissolves in water it acts as a

Brønsted–Lowry acid since it donates a proton to the H2O molecule. On the

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other hand, the H2O molecule acts as a Brønsted–Lowry base since it accepts a
proton from HCl. Observed another example reaction in an aqueous solution of
ammonia (NH3) in which the ammonia acts as the Brønsted–Lowry base because
it accepts a proton from H2O molecule:

These are important points to remember:

1. To transfer a proton, acids and bases always work together.
Simultaneously, a substance can function as a base only if another
substance behaves as an acid.
2. A molecule or ion needs to have a hydrogen atom it can lose as an H+ ion
to be a Brønsted–Lowry acid. A molecule or ion needs to have a non-
bonding pair of electrons it can use to bind the H+ ion to be a Brønsted–
Lowry base.

Conjugate Acid-Base Pairs

In any acid–base equilibrium, the forward reaction and the reverse

reaction involve a proton transfer. Examine the Brønsted-Lowry acid-base
reaction below where the species HB and HA act as Brønsted-Lowry acids in
the forward and reverse reactions, respectively while A- and B- act as Brønsted-
Lowry bases:

When a proton is removed from an acid, the specie formed is referred to

as the conjugate base. From the reaction given above, the specie B - is the
conjugate base of HB. When a proton is added to a base, the specie formed is
called the conjugate acid. From the reaction given above, HA is the conjugate
acid of A-. Therefore, conjugate acid-base pairs only differ in the presence or
absence of a proton, H+ (conjugate acid has one more proton than its conjugate
base).
Species that can either accept or donate a proton are referred to as
amphiprotic. An example is the H2O molecule, which can gain a proton to form
the hydronium ion, H3O+, or lose a proton, leaving the hydroxide ion, OH-.

We can identify two sets of conjugate acid–base pairs in any acid–base

(proton-transfer) reaction. Consider the reaction below between nitrous acid
(HNO2) and water (H2O):

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Consider another reaction between ammonia (NH 3)and water (H2O):

Ion-Product Constant for Water (Kw)

Water (H2O) can act as either a Brønsted-Lowry acid or a Brønsted-Lowry

base. In the presence of an acid, water acts as a proton acceptor while in the
presence of a base, it acts as a proton donor. In the figure below, you can
observe that one H2O molecule can donate a proton to another H 2O molecule:

This process is called autoionization of water.

For the equilibrium constant expression for reactions in solution, solutes

are expressed as their molarity, [X]. Since the solvent H 2O concentration is
essentially the same in all dilute solutions, it does not appear in the equilibrium
constant expression. Therefore, the equilibrium constant expression for the
ionization of water denoted with symbol Kw of the ion-product constant for
water at 25oC is:

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 The notations H+ (aq) and H3O+ (aq) are used to represent the hydrated
proton. Therefore, the reaction for the autoionization for water can be written
as

The expression for ion-product constant for water (Kw) can be written in
terms of H+ or H3O+. The Kw will have the same value:

The concentrations of H +, H3O+ ions and OH- ions in pure water at 25 OC

are readily calculated from Kw:

Notice from the equation above that H + ions and OH- ions are formed in
equal numbers. If the concentrations of [H +] = [OH-], the solution is neutral.
However, concentrations of H + and OH- are not equal in most solutions. An
aqueous solution in which [H +] is greater than [OH -] is termed acidic. An
aqueous solution in which [OH-] is greater than [H +] is basic (alkaline). To
summarize:

These are important points to remember:

1. The product of [H+] and [OH-] should always be equal to 1.0 x 10 -14.
Therefore, as the concentration of H + and OH- ions increases, the
concentration of the other must decrease.
2. You can calculate the concentration of the other ion by solving for it from
the Kw expression if you already know (1) the value of Kw at a particular
temperature and (2) the concentration of one of these ions:

Expressing the Hydronium Ion Concentration: The pH Scale

The acidity or basicity of a solution can be described in terms of its H +

concentration. In 1909, Søren Sørensen (1868–1939), proposed an alternative
method of specifying the acidity of a solution. He defined a term called pH (for
“power of the hydrogen ion”). The pH of a solution is the negative logarithm of
the hydrogen ion concentration (mol/L):

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 To find the [H3O+] from the pH, you perform the opposite arithmetic
process; that is, you find the negative antilog of pH:

A pOH scale, analogous to the pH scale, can be devised using the negative
logarithm of the hydroxide ion concentration of a solution. Thus, we define pOH
as

If we are given the pOH value of a solution and asked to calculate the OH-
ion concentration, we can take the antilog as follows:

Most aqueous solutions have hydrogen ion concentrations between 1 and

10-14 M and hence have a pH between 0 and 14. Because pH is simply a way
to express hydrogen ion concentration, acidic and basic solutions at 25°C can
be distinguished by their pH values, as follows at 25OC:

Now consider again the ion-product constant for water at 25°C:

The relationship among pKw, pH, and pOH can be expressed by taking
the negative log of both sides of the Kw expression:

Thus, in any aqueous solution at 25°C the sum of pH and pOH is 14.00.
With pH, pOH, [H3O+], and [OH-] interrelated through Kw, knowing any one of
the values allows us to determine the others.

Example:
1. Calculate, at 25OC:
a. the [H+] and pH of a tapwater sample in which [OH-] = 2.0 x 10-7.

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 b. the [H+] and [OH-] of human blood at pH 7.40.

What’s More
Activity 4: FIND MY MISSING PAIR /22
Directions: The table below shows some Br¢nsted-Lowry acid-base reactions.
Fill in the empty blocks with the missing acid and a base to complete the
conjugate acid-base pairs.

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Activity 5: ACIDIC OR BASIC
Directions: Complete the table below by calculating the missing entries.
Indicate whether the solution is acidic or basic.

What I Have Learned /22

Activity 5: LET’S TEST YOUR MIND!

PART I
Directions: Use the terms below to complete the passage. You may use each
term more than once.

A base contains the group and dissociates to produce

ions in aqueous solution. According to the
model, an acid donates ions, and a base accepts
ions. According to this model, in an acid-base reaction, each acid has a
, and each base has a .

PART II
Directions: In the space at the left, write TRUE if the statement is true; if the
statement is false, underline the word that makes the statement false and write
the correct word in the space before the number.
1. The pH of a solution is defined as the negative logarithm
of its hydroxide ion concentration.
2. The contents of the stomach have a pH of 2. Therefore, it would
mean that they are basic.
3. [H+]concentration in a solution with a pH = 3 is two
times greater than the [H +] concentration in a solution with a pH = 5.

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 4. The power of the hydrogen ion in a neutral solution at room
temperature is equal to the power of the hydroxide ion of the solution.
5. In the presence of an acid, H2O acts as a proton donor.

PART III
Directions: Solve each of the following problems. You must show all of your
work to obtain a full credit. Box your final answer/s. (5 points each)

1. For each of the following solutions, calculate and indicate whether the
solution is acidic, basic, or neutral:
a. [OH-] = 0.00045 M
b. [OH-] = 8.8 x10-9M
c. A solution in which [OH-] is 100 times greater than [H+].

2. Calculate the hydrogen ion concentration in mol/L for each of the following
solutions:
a. A solution whose pH = 5.20
b. The pOH of a solution is 9.40.

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 What I Can Do
Activity 6: DATA ANALYSIS! /10
Directions: In the laboratory, the pH of a solution is measured with a pH
meter. The table below shows the pH of a number of common fluids. Identify
which solutions are acidic, and which are basic.

Fluid pH Acidic/ Fluid pH Acidic/

Basic Basic
1. Tears 7.4 6. Gastric Juice 1-2
7. Household
2. Milk 6.5 11.5
Ammonia
8. Water
3. Vinegar 3 5.5
exposed to air
4. Saliva 6.4 - 6.9 9. Sea water 8.3

5. Blood 7.4 10. Lemon Juice 2.4

Assessment /15
Direction. Encircle the letter of the best answer.
1. A Bronsted-Lowry base is defined as a substance that .
a. increases [H+ ] when placed in H2O
b. increases [OH- ] when placed in H2O
c. acts as a proton acceptor
d. acts as a proton donor

2. Bronsted-Lowry acid is a substance that .

a. increases [H+ ] when placed in H2O
b. increases [OH- ] when placed in H2O
c. acts as a proton acceptor
d. acts as a proton donor
3. The magnitude of Kw indicates that .
a. water autoionizes very slowly
b. water autoionizes very quickly
c. water autoionizes only to a very small extent
d. the autoionization of water is exothermic

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4. In basic solution, .
a. [H3O+ ] = [OH-] c. [H3O ] < [OH-]
b. [H3O+] > [OH- ] d. [OH-] > 7.00
5. Which solution below has the highest concentration of hydroxide ions?
a. pH = 3.21 c. pH = 7.93
b. pH = 12.6 d. pH = 9.82
6. Which of the following is a conjugate acid/base pair?
a. HCl-/OCl- c. NH4+/NH3-
b. H2SO4/SO42- d. H3O+/OH-
7. Which of the following indicates the most basic solution?
a. [H+] = 1x 10-10 M c. [OH-] = 7 x 10-5 M
b. pOH = 6.7 d. pH = 4.2
8. The molar concentration of hydroxide ion in pure water at 25°C is
.
a. 1.00 c. 1 x 10-14
b. 0.00 d. 1 x 10 -7
9. A solution at 25.0 °C contains 1.94 × 10 -10 M hydronium ions. What is
its pOH?
a. 1.94 c. 2.84
b. 4.29 d. 9.71
10. Which of the following is the conjugate base of the hydroxide
ion?
a. O- c. O2-
b. H2O d. H3O+
11. When a substance can act as both an acid and as a base, it is .
a. conjugated c. saturated
b. amphoteric d. ionized
12. What will happen to the [H 3O+] concentration if the pH of a solution
increases from 4.0 to 6.0?
a. increases by a factor of 1.5.
b. increases by a factor of 100.
c. decreases by a factor of 1.5.
d. decreases by a factor of 100
13. Statement 1: Both members of a Bronsted-Lowry conjugate acid-base
pair must contain the element hydrogen.
Statement 2: The terms proton and hydrogen ion are used
interchangeably in acid-base discussions.
a. Statement 1 is true, Statement 2 is false
b. Statement 1 is false, Statement 2 is true
c. Statement 1 and 2 are true
d. Statement 1 and 2 are false

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 14. The following pairs of pH and [H3O+] ion concentrations are incorrect except
a. pH = 2.0; [H3O+] = 1 x 102
b. pH = 7.0; [H3O+] = 1 x 10–7
c. pH = 9.0; [H3O+] = 9 x 10–9
d. pH = 10.0; [H3O+] = 1 x 10–9
15. Calculate the concentration (in M) of hydronium ions in a solution at 25.0 °C
with a pOH of 4.223.
a. 5.98 × 10 -5 c. 5.99 × 10-19
b. 1.67 × 10-10 d. 1.54 × 10-10

Additional Activities /7

Activity 7: IT’S TIME TO CHANGE!

Directions: Indicators are best suited to distinguish between a solution that is

slightly acidic and one that is slightly basic. Some common indicators are listed
in the chart below. Determine the pH range for color change for each indicator.
Write your answers inside the boxes.

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 References

Department of Education, Chemistry Science and Technology Textbook. (2004)

Commission on Higher Education, General Chemistry 1: Teaching Guide for
Senior High, Manila. (2016)
Department of Education Central Office, Most Essential Learning
Competencies (MELCS), Manila, (2020).
Brown, Theodore L. ... et al, Theodore L. Brown, Jr., H. Eugene LeMay, Bruce
E. Bursten, Catherine J. Murphy, and Patrick Woodward. 2012. Chemistry:
the central science - 12th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice
Hall.
Chang, R., and K. A. Goldsby. "Chemistry. New York, EEUU." (2015).
Masterton, William, Cecile Hurley, and Edward Neth. Chemistry: Principles
and Reactions, Cengage Learning. ISBN 1-133-38694-6, 2011.
Silberberg, Martin Stuart. Principles of general chemistry. McGraw-Hill
Science Engineering, 2012.
Buthelezi, Thandi, Laurel Dingrando, Nicholas Hainen, Cheryl Wistrom, and
Dinah Zike. Chemistry: Matter and change. Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Zumdahl, Steven. World of chemistry. Cengage Learning, 2012

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