Chapter 6: Acidity and Basicity

Learning Objectives:

• Be able to identify molecules or functional groups as acidic or basic
• Be able to compare the relative acidity or basicity of two molecules or functional groups
• Know the approximate typical pKa values for common important functional groups
• Be able to predict the extent of acid / base equilibria given the pKa values
• Understand how acids / bases promote reactions

Summary

Acidity / basicity and acid / base behaviour are ..........TBA

Advice... know the factors that affect acidity at the molecular level but also know the pKa values for the most common functional groups.... this way you will be prepared and able to answer and deal with most things connected to acidity

• Definitions of terms (Bronsted, Lewis acid,base, pH scale)
• The Henderson-Haselbalch equation
• pKa's : the acidity ladder
• Using pKas
• Structural factors affecting acidity
• Structural factors affecting basicity
• Applications

Problems

• Sample questions

© Dr. Ian Hunt, Department of Chemistry