Write the balanced reaction of hydroxide ion with hydrofluoric acid, HF, to form fluoride
ion and water. Identify each species as either an acid or a base.
OH- + HF ----> H2O + F-
OH- is base
HF is acid
H2O is neither
F- is base
acid + base gives base + water
Note that in the Bronsted-Lowry theory that
the OH^- is a base and H2O is a conjugate acid.
HF is an acid and F^- is a conjugate base
In the B-L theory an acid gives up a H^+ to produce a conjugate base and a base adds a H^+ to form a conjugate acid.
H2SO4 is an acid and HSO4^- is the conjugate base but in other reactions HSO4^- is an acid and SO4^2- is the conjugate base.
The balanced reaction of hydroxide ion (base) with hydrofluoric acid (acid), HF, to form fluoride ion (base) and water is as follows:
OH- (base) + HF (acid) → F- (base) + H2O (neutral)
It is important to note that hydroxide ion (OH-) is a strong base, while hydrofluoric acid (HF) is a weak acid. When hydroxide ion reacts with hydrofluoric acid, the hydroxide ion acts as a base by accepting a proton (H+) from the acid. This results in the formation of fluoride ion (F-) and water (H2O).
To write the balanced reaction of hydroxide ion (OH-) with hydrofluoric acid (HF) to form fluoride ion (F-) and water (H2O), let's first identify the acid and base in the reaction:
In this case, hydroxide ion (OH-) is the base because it can accept a proton (H+), and hydrofluoric acid (HF) is the acid because it can donate a proton.
Now, let's write the balanced reaction:
OH- (base) + HF (acid) -> F- (conjugate base) + H2O (conjugate acid)
To balance the equation, we need to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. Therefore, the balanced equation becomes:
OH- + HF -> F- + H2O
This is the balanced equation for the reaction of hydroxide ion with hydrofluoric acid to form fluoride ion and water.