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For example, acetic acid is a weak acid which has a = 1.75 x 10 −5. Its conjugate base is the acetate ion with K b = 10 −14 /K a = 5.7 x 10 −10 (from the relationship K a × K b = 10 −14), which certainly does not correspond to a strong base. The conjugate of a weak acid is often a weak base and vice versa.
A weak acid may be defined as an acid with pK a greater than about −2. An acid with pK a = −2 would be 99 % dissociated at pH 0, that is, in a 1 M HCl solution. Any acid with a pK a less than about −2 is said to be a strong acid. Strong acids are said to be fully dissociated.
The strength of a strong acid is limited ("leveled") by the basicity of the solvent. Similarly the strength of a strong base is leveled by the acidity of the solvent. When a strong acid is dissolved in water, it reacts with it to form hydronium ion (H 3 O +). [2] An example of this would be the following reaction, where "HA" is the strong acid:
Acetic acid is an example of a weak acid. The pH of the neutralized solution resulting from HA + OH − → H 2 O + A −. is not close to 7, as with a strong acid, but depends on the acid dissociation constant, K a, of the acid. The pH at the end-point or equivalence point in a titration may be calculated as follows.
However, for weak acids, a quadratic equation must be solved, and for weak bases, a cubic equation is required. In general, a set of non-linear simultaneous equations must be solved. Water itself is a weak acid and a weak base, so its dissociation must be taken into account at high pH and low solute concentration (see Amphoterism).
If it is the result of a reaction between a strong acid and a strong base, the result is a neutral salt. Weak acids reacted with weak bases can produce ionic compounds with both the conjugate base ion and conjugate acid ion, such as ammonium acetate. Some ions are classed as amphoteric, being able to react with either an acid or a base. [59]
For a strong acid-strong base titration monitored by pH, we have at any i'th point in the titration = [+] [] where K w is the water autoprotolysis constant.. If titrating an acid of initial volume and concentration [+] with base of concentration [], then at any i'th point in the titration with titrant volume ,
Conversely, the addition of acid converts weak acid anions to CO 2 and continuous addition of strong acids can cause the alkalinity to become less than zero. [12] For example, the following reactions take place during the addition of acid to a typical seawater solution: B(OH) − 4 + H + → B(OH) 3 + H 2 O OH − + H + → H 2 O PO 3− 4 + 2 ...