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In chemistry, hydronium (hydroxonium in traditional British English) is the cation [H 3 O] +, also written as H 3 O +, the type of oxonium ion produced by protonation of water.It is often viewed as the positive ion present when an Arrhenius acid is dissolved in water, as Arrhenius acid molecules in solution give up a proton (a positive hydrogen ion, H +) to the surrounding water molecules (H 2 O).
By definition, an acid is an ion or molecule that can donate a proton, and when introduced to a solution it will react with water molecules (H 2 O) to form a hydronium ion (H 3 O +), a conjugate acid of water. [4] For simplistic reasoning, the hydrogen ion (H +) is often used to abbreviate the hydronium ion.
Hydronium is one of a series of oxonium ions with the formula R n H 3−n O +.Oxygen is usually pyramidal with an sp 3 hybridization.Those with n = 1 are called primary oxonium ions, an example being protonated alcohol (e.g. methanol).
Other hydrated forms, the Zundel cation H 5 O + 2, which is formed from a proton and two water molecules, and the Eigen cation H 9 O + 4, which is formed from a hydronium ion and three water molecules, are theorized to play an important role in the diffusion of protons though an aqueous solution according to the Grotthuss mechanism. Although ...
Protons tunnel across a series of hydrogen bonds between hydronium ions and water molecules.. The Grotthuss mechanism (also known as proton jumping) is a model for the process by which an 'excess' proton or proton defect diffuses through the hydrogen bond network of water molecules or other hydrogen-bonded liquids through the formation and concomitant cleavage of covalent bonds involving ...
The water molecule is amphoteric in aqueous solution. It can either gain a proton to form a hydronium ion H 3 O +, or else lose a proton to form a hydroxide ion OH −. [7] Another possibility is the molecular autoionization reaction between two water molecules, in which one water molecule acts as an acid and another as a base.
In 1884, Svante Arrhenius proposed that a base is a substance which dissociates in aqueous solution to form hydroxide ions OH −. These ions can react with hydrogen ions (H + according to Arrhenius) from the dissociation of acids to form water in an acid–base reaction. A base was therefore a metal hydroxide such as NaOH or Ca(OH) 2.
Hence, a pH indicator is a chemical detector for hydronium ions (H 3 O +) or hydrogen ions (H +) in the Arrhenius model. Normally, the indicator causes the color of the solution to change depending on the pH. Indicators can also show change in other physical properties; for example, olfactory indicators show change in their odor.