CHEM 1R03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Strong Electrolyte, Conjugate Acid, Weak Base
27 Apr 2018
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LECTURE 21
Acid and Base Strength
•The stronger the acid, the more willing it is to donate H+ ions
•In general the strength of an acid is defined by the position of its ionization
•For example when 1 mole of hydrogen chloride is dissolved in 1 L of water, the
resulting solution is an excellent conductor meaning hydrogen chloride is a strong
electrolyte
•In other words HCl must produce H+ and Cl- as you can see:
•Remember that strong acids contain a relatively weak conjugate base (low
attraction for protons and weaker than water)
•Weak acids on the other hand contain a relatively strong conjugate base
•Weak acids donate only some of their hydrogen ions into the solution meaning only
a small fraction of its molecules are dissociated
