Question

Which of the following is an example of ionization of an acid?

Answer 1

Answer:

NH3(g) + H2O(1) → NH4+(aq) + OH (aq)

HF(aq) + H2O(1) → H3O+(aq) + F (aq)

Explanation:

Acid-base reactions are chemical reactions involving acids and bases. Acids tend to ionize/dissociate in water, a property which determines their strength. Ionization of an acid refers to the acid losing its hydrogen ion (H+) in water solution. An acid ionizes or dissociates to form a conjugate base.

A strong acid is so because it ionizes completely in water i.e. loses all its hydrogen ion (H+) while a weak acid partially ionizes in water.

In the chemical reactions;

1) NH3(g) + H2O(1) → NH4+(aq) + OH (aq)

H20 loses its hydrogen ion (H+) in this reaction to form an anion (OH-). Hence, water (H20) is an acid in this case which ionizes to form a conjugate base (OH-). This is an example of ionization of acid.

2) HF(aq) + H2O(1) → H3O+(aq) + F (aq)

Hydrogen fluoride (HF) loses its hydrogen ion (H+) in the presence of water to form anion (F-). The HF is the acid while F- is it's conjugate base. Thus, an example of ionization of acid