College Chemistry : Strong and Weak Acids/Bases

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for College Chemistry

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Strong And Weak Acids/Bases

Which of the following is a weak base?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Strong acids and bases are those that ionize completely in solution. In contrast, weak acids and bases ionize only partially in solution.

, hydrogen fluoride, is an example of a very strong acid. In solution, it dissolves completely to form  and 

, sodium hydroxide, is an example of a very strong base. In solution, it dissolves completely to form  and .

, acetic acid, is an example of a weak acid. In solution, it dissolves partially to form  and .

, ammonia, is an example of a weak base. In solution, it accepts a proton to form  and .

Example Question #31 : Acid Base Reactions

 reacts with  in aqueous solution according to the chemical equation provided. If it took  of a   solution to titrate  of an  solution, what was the concentration of original  solution?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Using the concentration of  as a conversion factor, we can convert the volume of  to moles by dimensional analysis:

At the equivalence point of the titration:

Example Question #1 : Strong And Weak Acids/Bases

Determine the acid dissociation constant expression for the given reaction.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Acid dissociation constant which is denoted as  is the equilibrium constant for the ionization of an acid. Therefore, the numerator contains the product of the concentrations of the substances on the product side of the chemical equation. The denominator contains the product of the concentrations of the substances on the reactant side of the chemical equation.   is omitted in the acid dissociation constant expression because as the solvent it is in excess and therefore the change in its concentration is negligible in comparison to the other substances in solution.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors