There are a total of 3 theories of Acid-Base reactions in Chemistry, namely:
- Arrhenius Theory
- Bronsted Lowry Theory
- Lewis Theory
In this topic on Acid-Base Equilibrium (also commonly known as Ionic Equilibrium or Aqueous Solutions) in GCE A-Level H2 Chemistry, the focus is on Bronsted-Lowry Theory. This topic is usually covered in year 2 of junior college (JC 2).
It is very important to appreciate and understand the underlying concepts first, before looking at exam-based challenging questions. This is something our A-Level JC H2 Chemistry Tuition Classes always do.
So here we go…..some background information on Bronsted-Lowry theory before we look at a challenging exam-based question on “How to determine Acid-Base Reaction”.
The Bronsted-Lowry theory describes acid-base reactions in terms of proton transfer between chemical species.
A Bronsted-Lowry acid is any species that can donate a proton, H+ and a base is any species that can accept a proton.
This means that Bronsted-Lowry acid can be any chemical species which contain a hydrogen that can dissociate out as H+ ion.
In order to accept a proton, a Bronsted-Lowry base must have at least one lone pair of electrons to form a new bond with a proton.
Using the Bronsted-Lowry definition, an acid-base reaction is basically any chemical reaction in which a proton is transferred from an acid to a base. Dative bonding is involved in the transfer.
Unlike Arrhenius theory of acid-base reactions, Bronsted-Lowry definitions is more inclusive and can be used to discuss acid-base reactions in any solvent, as well as those that occur in the gas phase. For example, the reaction of NH3(g) and HCl(g) to form NH4Cl(g) is considered an acid-based reaction, according to Bronsted Lowry theory, but not for Arrhenius theory.
Assuming you are good with your concepts already, let’s take a look at a video which contains an excerpt of Mr Sean Chua’s A-Level JC2 H2 Chemistry Class teachings on “How to Determine Bronsted Lowry Acid Base Reaction” using a challenging exam-based question.
I hope you find the content easy for your understanding and if you have any questions, leave me a comment below. Feel free to share this blog post with your friends.
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