module 5: acids, bases and cells Flashcards
how does the arrhenius vs brønsted lowry model define acids and bases
arrhenius:
acids –> H+
alkali –> OH-
brønsted lowry:
acids are protons donors
bases are proton acceptors
when do protons dissociate
they can only dissociate in solution because they form hydroxonium ions in water (H3O+)
eg. HCl + H2O <–> H3O+ + Cl-
often the H3O is simplified to H+ in equations
what is a conjugate acid-base pair
A conjugate acid-base pair is two species that are different from each other by an H+ ion
the acid vs base can be determined using Ka - the larger Ka value will be had by the acid and the smaller one by the base
how do you define an acid by the number of H+ that are replaced
monobasic - one proton eg HCl
dibasic - two protons eg H2SO4
tribasic - three protons eg H3PO4
how do you write ionic equations
write out the symbol equation
convert only aqueous stuff into ions
simplify by cancelling when on both sides
how is pH linked to [H+]
pH = -log[H+]
[H+] = 10^-pH
(remember to check if the acid is dibasic)
in a strong acid what is the relationship between [HA] (acid concentration and [H+]
they are equal because strong acids completely dissociate in solution
how is the dissociation of a weak acid represented
what is the relationship between Ka and pKa
what are 2 approximations that have to be made when calculating Ka
- HA dissociation forms equal [H+] and [A-]
- the change in [HA] in negligible, so [HA] at equilbrium = [HA] at start
what calculation is used to calculate Ka
what calcuation is then used to calculate pH
what are the issues with Ka calculations
there are issues with the approximations made
- at pH >6 there is significant water dissociation, so it doesn’t;t work for very dilute solutions or very dilute acids
- if [H+] is significant, [HA] at equilbrium ≠ [HA] at start, so doesn’t work for stronger weak acids with Ka > 0.01 moldm^-3 or very dilute solutions(?)
what is Kw
the equilibrium constant for the self-ionization reaction of water
Ka x [H2O] = [H+][OH-]
Ka for water is constant and the dissociation of water is minimal so the water stays constant too
this means:
Kw = [H+][OH-]
Kw has a constant value which is given on the data sheet
(but still varies with temp)
what is the product of the two ion concentration in Kw
so the indices of the concentrations of [H+] and [OH-] add to -14 at any pH
how are new pH’s calculated with dilutions
- divide original volume by new total volume to get the dilution factor
- dilution factor x Kw = new [H+]
- -log[new[H+]]
how is pH of a base determined
strong bases dissociate completely in solution so the conc of the reactant = conc of a product
- find [OH-], will be equal to solutions overall []
- find [H+]
Kw=[H+][OH-] so, [H+]=Kw/[OH-] - find pH
pH=-log[[H+]]
what is a buffer solution
a solution that resists pH change when a small amount of acid or alkali is added
a buffer can consist of weak acid-conjugate base or weak base-conjugate acid
what is an acid-base indicator
a weak acid that dissociates to give a different colour
how does an acid-base indicator work
the colour of the solution depends on the relative concentrations of each species
in a more acidic solution this one would shift left and and colour 1 would dominate and vice versa
so the colour depends on the solution’s pH, and will change gradually dependant on the indicators Ka
at the endpoint, there’s balance between [HIn+] and [In-] and a neg log of both sides shows pKa to equal pH
how is a suitable indicator chosen
pH changes very rapidly around a titration’s equivalence point
indicators change colour over a narrow pH range approximately surrounding the indicator’s pKa
appropriate indicator: its pH (aka pKa) range falls within the rapid change for that titration (where its straight up on a graph)
what reactions is methyl orange used for
strong acid - strong base
strong acid - weak base
what reactions can phenophthalein indicate for
weak acid-strong base
what indicator is used for weak acid-weak base reactions
none because there is no sharp change in pH, it’s very gradual
outline the shorthand of drawing an electrochemical cell