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Topic: Very weak acids and bases  (Read 1773 times)

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Offline Shadow

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Very weak acids and bases
« on: October 21, 2013, 01:25:21 PM »
Why can't a very weak acid be neutralized with a strong base and vice versa? Even if the Ka is very small, the hydroxyde ions from the base should react with the protons and shift the equilibrium?
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Offline magician4

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Re: Very weak acids and bases
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2013, 01:58:19 PM »
imagine the corresponding base to named acid
( imagine for example methanol being the acid: pKa ~ 15.6)

what would happen if you'd had methanolate , for example NaOCH3, in water (pKa / pKb = 7 ) ?

see?

So, as long as we're talking "water" as solvent for "neutralization", this can't happen....

regards

Ingo
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Offline Vidya

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Re: Very weak acids and bases
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2013, 08:40:37 AM »
every weak acid will give a conjugate base stronger than water and hence make the solution basic.
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