6.9.8

Polyprotic Acids

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Polyprotic Acids

Acids are classified by the number of hydronium ions per molecule that they can give up in a reaction. Polyprotic acids give up more than one hydronium ion.

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Monoprotic acids

  • Acids such as HCl, HNO3, and HCN that contain one ionizable hydrogen atom in each molecule are called monoprotic acids.
  • Their reactions with water are:
    • HCl(aq) + H2O(l) ⟶ H3O+(aq) + Cl−(aq)
    • HNO3(aq) + H2O(l) ⟶ H3O+(aq) + NO3-(aq)
    • HCN(aq) + H2O(l) ⇌ H3O+(aq) + CN-(aq)
  • Even though it contains four hydrogen atoms, acetic acid, CH3CO2H, is also monoprotic because only the hydrogen atom from the carboxyl group (COOH) reacts with bases.
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Diprotic acids

  • Diprotic acids contain two ionizable hydrogen atoms per molecule. Ionization of such acids occurs in two steps.
  • The first ionization always takes place to a greater extent than the second ionization.
  • For example, sulfuric acid, a strong acid, ionizes as follows:
  • First ionization:
    • H2SO4(aq) + H2O(l) ⇌ H3O+(aq) + HSO4-(aq)     𝐾a1 = more than 102;
  • Second ionization:
    • HSO4-(aq) + H2O(l) ⇌ H3O+(aq) + SO42- (aq)     𝐾a2 = 1.2 × 10-2
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Titration curves

  • The stepwise ionization of diprotic acids can be seen on titration curves as there will be two equivalence points.
  • Using the titration of H2SO4 with LiOH as an example:
    • At the first equivalence point, all the H3O+ ions from the first ionization have reacted with OH- ions from LiOH.
    • By the second one, all H3O+ ions have reacted with the OH- ions from LiOH and been neutralized.

Jump to other topics

1Structure - Models of the Particulate of Matter

2Structure - Models of Bonding & Structure

3Structure - Classification of Matter

3.1The Periodic Table: Classification of Elements

3.2Periodic Trends

3.3Group 1 Alkali Metals

3.4Halogens

3.5Noble gases, group 18

3.6Functional Groups: Classification of Organic

3.7Functional Group Chemistry

3.8Alkanes

3.9Alcohols

3.10Halogenoalkanes

4Reactivity - What Drives Chemical Reaction?

5Reactivity - How Much, How Fast & How Far?

6Reactivity - The Mechanisms of Chemical Change

7Measurement, Data Processing & Analysis

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