High School Chemistry : Help with Acid-Base Reactions

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for High School Chemistry

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Help With Acid Base Reactions

What volume of a 1.2M solution of hydrochloric acid is needed to neutralize 50mL of a 3M sodium hydroxide solution?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The equation to use here is:

Here,  is the molarity of the acid,  is the volume of the acid,  is the molarity of the base, and  is the volume of the base. Don't forget to convert the volume to liters!

Example Question #2 : Help With Acid Base Reactions

What kind of reaction is an acid-base neutralization reaction?

Possible Answers:

Decomposition

Double-replacement

Single-replacement

Addition (synthesis)

Oxidation-reduction

Correct answer:

Double-replacement

Explanation:

Below is a generic acid-base neutralization reaction:

The products are always water, and a salt. This salt is produced from the resulting ions  and . The  from the acid replaces the  from the base, and the  from the acid replaces the  from the base. Since there are two replacements, acid-base neutralizations are classified as double-replacement reactions.

Example Question #2 : Help With Acid Base Reactions

Which of the following is the definition for an Arrhenius acid?

Possible Answers:

A proton donor

A substance that increases the  concentration when added to water

A substance that increases the  concentration when added to water.

A proton acceptor

None of these

Correct answer:

A substance that increases the  concentration when added to water

Explanation:

Arrhenius acid/base theory was created by Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius, and is the oldest acid/base classification. According to his classification, acids are compounds that increase the concentration of  ions in a solution, while bases are compounds or elements that either decrease the concentration of  ions in solution or increase the concentration of  ions in a solution. The other two answers describe the Brønsted–Lowry theory of acids and bases.

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