Acids, Bases, and pH Flashcards

Grade 10 · Science · Flashcards

Essential vocabulary and concepts for understanding acids, bases, the pH scale, and chemical equilibrium in aqueous solutions.

Flashcards

Arrhenius acid: A substance that produces H⁺ (or H₃O⁺) ions when dissolved in water
Arrhenius base: A substance that produces OH⁻ ions when dissolved in water
Brønsted-Lowry acid: A species that donates a proton (H⁺) in a chemical reaction
Brønsted-Lowry base: A species that accepts a proton (H⁺) in a chemical reaction
pH scale: Logarithmic scale from 0-14; pH < 7 is acidic, pH = 7 is neutral, pH > 7 is basic
Strong acid: Completely dissociates in water; examples: HCl, HBr, HI, HNO₃, H₂SO₄, HClO₄
Strong base: Completely dissociates in water; examples: NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)₂, Ba(OH)₂
Weak acid: Partially dissociates in water; equilibrium favors reactants; e.g., CH₃COOH, H₂CO₃
Conjugate acid-base pair: Acid and base that differ by exactly one H⁺; e.g., CH₃COOH / CH₃COO⁻
Neutralization reaction: Acid + Base → Salt + Water; HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H₂O
Titration: A technique to determine the concentration of a solution by reacting it with a standard solution of known concentration
Equivalence point: Point in titration where moles of acid = moles of base; not necessarily pH 7
Buffer solution: Mixture of weak acid and its conjugate base (or weak base and conjugate acid) that resists pH changes
Amphoteric: Can act as both acid and base; water (H₂O) and bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) are examples