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Arrhenius Acid Study Guide

An Arrhenius acid is a chemical that contains hydrogen atoms and may easily produce hydrogen ions or protons in its aqueous solution.

INTRODUCTION

Acids and bases can be found in anything from the vinegar in your kitchen cabinet to your bathing soap. What does that really mean to say something is acidic or basic, though? To address this topic, we must first look at some of the ideas that describe acids and bases. The Arrhenius theory will be the topic of this article.

ARRHENIUS ACID

Svante Arrhenius, a Swedish chemist, first presented the Arrhenius hypothesis of acids and bases in 1884. He proposed categorizing certain substances as acids or bases depending on the type of ions generated when they were combined with water.

Arrhenius acid Source

Any species that raises the concentration of Hydrogen ions or protons in an aqueous solution is known as an Arrhenius acid. Understand the dissociation reaction of hydrochloric acid in the water, for instance:
```
                    HCl(aq) → H+(aq) Cl-(aq)
```
HCl disintegrates into H ions and Cl- ions in an aqueous solution of HCl. Hydrochloric acid is an Arrhenius acid because it causes a rise in the concentration of H ions in the solution.

Arrhenius-acids Source

Ionizability does not apply to all hydrogen atoms in molecular compounds.
The hydrogen atoms in methane (CH₄) are covalently bound to carbon in just slightly polar bonds.
Methane has no acidic characteristics since the atoms are incapable of ionization.
Organic acids, such as acetic acid (CH₃COOH), are a type of acid. The molecule contains four hydrogen atoms; however, only the one hydrogen atom linked to an oxygen atom is ionizable.

Acetic acid Source

TYPES OF ACID ON THE BASIS OF THE NUMBER OF HYDROGEN IONS RELEASED

On the basis of the number of hydrogen ions released in the aqueous solution, acids can be classified as monoprotic or polyprotic.
A monoprotic acid is the one that has one ionizable hydrogen in it. Monoprotic acids include hydrochloric acid and acetic acid. An acid with numerous ionizable hydrogens is known as a polyprotic acid.

CONCLUSION:

In the aqueous phase, an Arrhenius acid is a chemical that ionizes to produce hydrogen ions (H).
On the basis of the number of hydrogen ions released in the aqueous solution, acids can be classified as monoprotic (one hydrogen ion) or polyprotic (more than one hydrogen ion).

FAQs:

1. What is an Arrhenius acid?

According to Arrhenius, acids are hydrogen-containing substances that dissociate in water to give H ions or protons, while bases are hydroxide compounds that dissociate to give OH ions.

2. What is the definition of an Arrhenius acid? Give an example.

According to the Arrhenius hypothesis, an Arrhenius acid is a chemical that contains hydrogen atoms and may easily produce hydrogen ions or protons in its aqueous solution. When hydrochloric acid is dissolved in water, it produces the ions chloride (Cl-) and hydronium (H₃O).

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