How is the equilibrium reaction between water and strong acids, and water with weak acids, represented?
Answers
Acids and bases exist as conjugate acid-base pairs. The term conjugate comes from the Latin stems meaning "joined together" and refers to things that are joined, particularly in pairs, such as Brnsted acids and bases.
Every time a Brnsted acid acts as an H+-ion donor, it forms a conjugate base. Imagine a generic acid, HA. When this acid donates an H+ ion to water, one product of the reaction is the A- ion, which is a hydrogen-ion acceptor, or Brnsted base.
HA + H2O <-----> H3O+ + A-
acid base
Conversely, every time a base gains an H+ ion, the product is a Brnsted acid, HA.
A- + H2O <-----> HA + OH-
base acid
Acids and bases in the Brnsted model therefore exist as conjugate pairs whose formulas are related by the gain or loss of a hydrogen ion.
Our use of the symbols HA and A- for a conjugate acid-base pair does not mean that all acids are neutral molecules or that all bases are negative ions. It signifies only that the acid contains an H+ ion that isn't present in the conjugate base. Brnsted acids or bases can be neutral molecules, positive ions, or negative ions
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