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LSM 16.2F
Solutions for BrønstedLowry Definitions,
Extra Exercises
1. According to the BrønstedLowry concept, define an acid and a base in terms of an
acidbase reaction.
According to the BrønstedLowry concept, a proton is transferred from an acid to a
base in an acidbase reaction.
2. (a) What is meant by an “acidic” solution?
An acidic solution is an empirical classification of a solution with properties such
as turning blue litmus red and having a pH less than 7.
(b) Does a BrønstedLowry acid have to form an acidic solution? Explain.
No. A BrønstedLowry acid is defined in terms of proton transfer in a reaction
and not in terms of the empirical properties of a solution. For example, the
hydrogen carbonate ion forms a basic solution, but sometimes acts as a
BrønstedLowry acid.
3. There are many species that are classified as amphiprotic.
(a) What does amphiprotic mean?
An amphiprotic substance is one that appears to act as a BrønstedLowry acid in
some reactions and as a BrønstedLowry base in other reactions.
(b) What general type of species is amphiprotic?
Hydrogen-polyatomic species, such as HCO3(aq), are generally amphiprotic.
4. HOOCCOO(aq) + PO43(aq) p HPO42(aq) + OOCCOO2(aq)
A
B
A
B
(a) Label each species as A or B for both forward and reverse reactions.
(b) Identify all conjugate acidbase pairs.
HOOCCOO(aq) / OOCCOO2(aq)
HPO42(aq) / PO43(aq)
(c) According to the BrønstedLowry concept, what determines the position of this
equilibrium?
According to the BrønstedLowry concept, the position of the equilibrium is
determined by the competition for proton transfer between the reacting species in
the forward reaction and the reacting species in the reverse reaction.
5. What is the generalization about the strength of an acid relative to its conjugate base?
In general, the stronger an acid, the weaker its conjugate base; and conversely, the
weaker the acid, the stronger its conjugate base.
Copyright © 2007 Thomson Nelson
Unit 8 Lab and Study Masters
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