Question

1) What is the difference between the Bronsted-Lowry approach to identifying acids and bases, and the Arrhenius approach?


2) Imagine you were looking at the conjugate acid of a strong base. What would you predict about its strength? Why?

Answer 1

1.) The difference between the two theories is that the Arrhenius theory states that the acids always contain H⁺ and that the bases always contain OH^-. While the Bronsted-Lowry model claims that acids are proton donors and proton acceptors so bases do not need to contain OH^- so acids donate a proton to water forming H3O⁺.

2.)There is a relationship between the strength of an acid (or base) and the strength of its conjugate base (or conjugate acid) i.e. the stronger the acid, the weaker its conjugate base or the stronger the base, the weaker its conjugate acid.

So, conjugate acid of a strong base will be a weaker acid