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Strong acids and strong bases make an essential part of the chemistry syllabus. Any acid or base is determined based on its pH concentration, as strong acids have pKa values of less than -2. The top examples of strong bases indicate that these ionise in water to give one or more hydroxide ions per base molecule.
Let us understand all about the strong acids, strong bases, the strong acid and strong base examples, and the mixture of a strong acid and a strong base. We’ll cover a couple of the top questions at the end of this section to facilitate our students.
What is pH?
The pH stands for the potential of hydrogen or the power of hydrogen in chemistry. It defines the acidity or basicity of the solution. The acidic solutions have a higher concentration of H+ ions, while the basic solutions have a lower concentration of H+ ions. Hence, the pH of acids is less than seven, while the pH of bases is more than seven.
pH is defined as the decimal logarithm of the reciprocal of the activity of hydrogen activity. Indicators are used to measure pH by their colour changing properties with acids and bases. It works as the comparison of the visual colour test with the standard colour chart. Hence, the pH of the solution can be determined to the nearest accurate values. Many people use electronic pH metres to determine the pH values of the solution (acidic, basic, neutral).
For the strong base examples, their pH is more significant than seven, while the strong acid examples have a pH of less than 7. Let us now understand the strong acids.
What is a strong acid?
The acid which dissociates 100% when placed in water is called a strong acid. The strong acids release H3O+ ions in the solution, which further directly lowers the pH of the solution. A simple, strong acid ionisation example is:
HA (aq) + H2O (l) -> H3O+ (aq) + A- (aq)
Strong acid examples
The common strong acid examples with formula are:
The other strong acids which are not used in daily routine include fluoroantimonic acid (H [SbF6]), triflic acid (H [CF3SO3]), etc. The general form of the dissociation reaction of any strong acid is given by:
HA + S <-> SH+ + A-
where, S is the solvent molecule and can be water.
What is a strong base?
A strong base is the one which completely dissociates in the aqueous solution. It releases hydroxide ions per molecule of the base solution. The weak bases, on the other hand, weakly dissociates in water.
Strong base examples
The common strong base examples with formula and ions are:
A mixture of a strong acid and a strong base
Mixing a strong acid and strong base results in stable compounds. It is easy to calculate the number of moles of the substance being added using the following formula of the resultant solution:
Moles (mol) = concentration (mol L-1) * Volume (L)
This formula works for both strong acid and strong base examples.
The quick steps to approach the mixture of a strong acid and a strong base are:
- Define the species of acids or bases used in the solution.
- Go for the balanced chemical equation to balance the chemical reaction.
- Go for the results based on the balanced chemical equations.
- Calculate the equilibrium composition of the resultant solution.
- Calculate the pH of the resultant solution.
It is observed that the neutralisation of the solution takes place by mixing a strong acid and a strong base.
Let N1 be the strength of the strong acid,
V1 be the volume of the strong acid,
N2 be the strength of the strong base,
V2 be the volume of the strong base,
If, N1V1 > N2V2, the resulting solution is having H+ ions and is acidic with N1V1- N2V2/ V1 + V2
If, N1V1 < N2V2, the resulting solution is having H+ ions and is basic with N2V2- N1V1/ V1 + V2
Conclusion
The mixture of strong acid and a strong base gives concentrations of pH and pOH. This acid-base neutralisation reaction occurs, and the resultant solution is acidic or basic. The component in excess in the solution decides the concentration of the solution.
It is easy to understand all about the strong acids and strong bases as the number of H+ ions depends on the volume of strong acid and its normality. The number of OH+ ions depends on the volume of the strong base and its normality. The resultant mixture of a strong acid and a strong base can be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the quantity of the solutions.
