Which reaction illustrates water acting as a Bronsted Lowry base?
Water can act as a Bronsted-Lowry base when it accepts a proton (H+) from an acid.
One example of such a reaction is the reaction between water and hydrochloric acid (HCl):
HCl + H2O ⇌ H3O+ + Cl-
In this reaction, water (H2O) accepts a proton (H+) from hydrochloric acid (HCl), forming hydronium ion (H3O+) as a result.
To determine which reaction illustrates water acting as a Bronsted-Lowry (BL) base, we need to understand the concept of BL acids and bases. According to the BL theory, an acid donates a proton (H+ ion), while a base accepts a proton.
In water (H2O), the oxygen atom has two lone pairs of electrons, which makes it capable of accepting a proton, thus acting as a base.
Let's consider two reactions involving water and various acids:
1. HCl (hydrochloric acid) + H2O (water) → H3O+ (hydronium ion) + Cl- (chloride ion)
In this reaction, water accepts a proton from HCl, forming H3O+ and chloride ion. Since water accepts a proton, it acts as a base according to the BL theory.
2. HNO3 (nitric acid) + H2O (water) → H3O+ (hydronium ion) + NO3- (nitrate ion)
In this reaction, water also accepts a proton from HNO3, forming H3O+ and nitrate ion. Again, water acts as a base by accepting a proton.
Therefore, both of these reactions illustrate water acting as a Bronsted-Lowry base by accepting a proton from the respective acids.