Acids and Bases - Part 1

Definitions of acids and bases

• Arrhenius
  acid: generates [H⁺] in solution
  base: generates [OH^-] in solution
  normal Arrhenius equation: acid + base <---> salt + water
  example: HCl + NaOH <---> NaCl + H₂O 
• Bronsted-Lowery:
  acid: anything that donates a [H⁺] (proton donor)
  base: anything that accepts a [H⁺] (proton acceptor)
  normal Bronsted-Lowery equation: acid + base <---> acid + base
  example: HNO₂ + H₂O <---> NO₂^- + H₃O⁺
  Each acid has a conjugate base and each base has a conjugate acid. These conjugate pairs only differ by a proton. In this example: HNO₂ is the acid, H₂O is the base, NO₂^- is the conj. base, and H₃O⁺ is the conj. acid.
• Lewis:
  acid: accepts an electron pair
  base: donates an electron pair
  The advantage of this theory is that many more reactions can be considered acid-base reactions because they do not have to occur in solution.