Modern Chemistry & Applications

Importance of Bronsted-Lowry Theory in Acid Base Reactions in Solutions

Nantana Bunsupa^* Department of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
^*Correspondence: Nantana Bunsupa, Department of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, Email:

Received: 27-Mar-2023, Manuscript No. MCA-23-21133; Editor assigned: 29-Mar-2023, Pre QC No. MCA-23-21133 (PQ); Reviewed: 14-Apr-2023, QC No. MCA-23-21133; Revised: 21-Apr-2023, Manuscript No. MCA-23-21133 (R); Published: 28-Apr-2023, DOI: 10.35248/2329-6798.23.11.409

Description

Understanding chemical reactions, substance characteristics, and substance behavior in various settings all depend on understanding acids and bases. The definitions of acids and bases, their characteristics, many theories describing how they behave, and their uses in various fields will all be covered in this article.

A chemical that contributes hydrogen ions (H⁺) in aqueous solutions is referred to be an acid. Based on their dissociation constants, acids can be categorized as either strong or weak. In contrast to weak acids, which only partially dissociate and produce a low concentration of hydrogen ions in water, strong acids totally dissociate in water. Nitric acid (HNO₃), sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), and hydrochloric acid (HCl) are a few typical examples of powerful acids. Additionally, acids can be categorized as organic or inorganic depending on where they come from.

Any substance that takes hydrogen ions (H⁺) in aqueous solutions is referred to as a base. Based on their dissociation constants, bases can be categorized as strong or weak. Strong bases are those that totally breakdown in water and produce a large amount of hydroxide ions (OH^-), as opposed to weak bases, which only partially dissociate and produce a small amount of OH^-. Strong bases include substances like calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂), potassium hydroxide (KOH), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH), among others.

The proton donor-acceptor hypothesis, sometimes referred to as the Bronsted-Lowry theory, is a fundamental theory that describes how acids and bases behave. In 1923, Johannes Bronsted and Thomas Lowry put out this notion. According to the Bronsted-Lowry theory, a base is a substance that receives protons (H⁺), whereas an acid provides protons to another substance. Compared to the Arrhenius hypothesis, which only applies to aqueous solutions, this concept is broader. According to the Bronsted-Lowry theory, acids and bases can interact with one another in any kind of medium, not simply aqueous solutions.

Conjugate acid-base pairs are a concept that is explained by the Bronsted-Lowry theory. When an acid provides a proton, it changes into a conjugate base, and when it receives a proton, it changes into a conjugate acid. For instance, consider the reaction between water (H₂O) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). Water receives a proton donation from HCl and develops into the conjugate acid H₃O⁺. After accepting the proton, the chloride ion (Cl^-) changes into a conjugate base.

Similar to how an acid transforms into a conjugate base when it accepts a proton, so does the substance that contributes the proton. For instance, consider the reaction between water and ammonia (NH₃). Ammonia becomes NH⁴⁺, a conjugate acid, when it accepts a proton. Water becomes OH^-, a conjugate base, by donating a proton.

The capacity of an acid or base to give or take protons determines how strong it is. While weak acids have a low inclination to give protons, strong acids are more likely to do so. Similar to this, strong bases have a higher propensity to take protons than weak bases do.

The idea of acid-base equilibrium is also explained by the Bronsted-Lowry hypothesis. A proton is transferred from an acid to a base in an acid-base equilibrium while a proton is transferred from a conjugate acid to a conjugate base in the reverse reaction.