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Which Is A Characteristic Of A Strong Base

Introduction Again

Some acids and bases ionize rapidly and almost completely in solution; these are called strong acids and strong bases. For example, hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid. When placed in water, virtually every HCl molecule splits into a H+ ion and a Cl- ion in the reaction.1

[ce{HCl(aq) + H2O(l) <=> H3O^{+}(aq) + Cl^{-}(aq)} nonumber]

For a strong acid like HCl, if you place 1 mole of HCl in a liter of water, you will get roughly 1 mole of H30+ ions and 1 mole of Cl- ions. In a weak acid like hydrofluoric acid (HF), not all of the HF molecules split up, and although there will be some H+ and F- ions released, there will still be HF molecules in solution1. A similar concept applies to bases, except the reaction is different. A strong base like sodium hydroxide (NaOH) will also dissociate completely into water; if you put in 1 mole of NaOH into water, you will get 1 mole of hydroxide ions.1

[ce{NaOH(aq) + H2O(l) <=> Na^{+}(aq) + OH^{-}(aq) + H2O(l)} nonumber]

The terms “strong” and “weak” in this context do not relate to how corrosive or caustic the substance is, but only its capability to ionize in water. The ability of a substance to eat through other materials or damage skin is more of a function of the properties of that acid, as well as its concentration. Although, strong acids are more directly dangerous at lower concentrations a strong acid is not necessarily more dangerous than a weak one. For example, hydrofluoric acid is a weak acid1, but it is extremely dangerous and should be handled with great care. Hydrofluoric acid is particularly dangerous because it is capable of eating through glass, as seen in the video in the links sectionV1. The percent dissociation of an acid or base is mathematically indicated by the acid ionization constant (Ka) or the base ionization constant (Kb)1. These terms refer to the ratio of reactants to products in equilibrium when the acid or base reacts with water. For acids the expression will be

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Ka = [H3O+][A-]/[HA]

where HA is the concentration of the acid at equilibrium, and A- is the concentration of its conjugate base at equilibrium and for bases the expression will be

[K_b = dfrac{[ce{OH^{-}}][ce{HB^{+}}]}{ce{B}}]

where B is the concentration of the base at equilibrium and HB+ is the concentration of its conjugate acid at equilibrium

The stronger an acid is, the lower the pH it will produce in solution. pH is calculated by taking the negative logarithm of the concentration of hydronium ions. For strong acids, you can calculate the pH by simply taking the negative logarithm of its molarity as it completely dissociates into its conjugate base and hydronium. The same goes for strong bases, except the negative logarithm gives you the pOH as opposed to the pH. For weak acids and bases, the higher the Ka or Kb, the more acidic or basic the solution. To find the pH for a weak acid or base, you must use the K equation and a RICE table to determine the pH.

All acids have a conjugate base that forms when they react with water, and similarly, all bases have a conjugate acid that reacts when they form with water.1 You can judge the relative strength of a conjugate by the (K_a) or (K_b) value of the substance because (K_a times K_b) is equal to the ionization constant of water, Kw which is equal to (1 times 10^{-14}) at room temperature. The higher the Ka, the stronger the acid is, and the weaker its conjugate base is. Similarly, the higher the Kb, the stronger the substance is as a base, and the more weakly acidic its conjugate acid is.1

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