Question about acids and bases

[BigToque]

I have had a little bit of difficulty understanding the concept of acids and bases in chemistry.

A molecule that is really stable after it has been deprotenated is considered to be a strong acid. If a molecule is a strong acid, does that mean that it is also a weak base?

I'm studying mechanisms and the concept of nucleophilicity and basicity came up.

As am example, H-Cl is a strong acid that breaks up into H+ and Cl-. Is Cl- considered a weak base because in Cl- form it has a full valence shell and just couldn't care about stealing another electron and deprotinating another molecule?

 

[Ika]

Yes, the Cl- ion is a VERY weak base (i.e. it sucks as a base, i.e. proton acceptor). All acids and bases are in equilibrium with their alternate forms (e.g. NH3 is a base, NH4+ is an acid). Acidity/basicity is a scale, if something is more acidic it is less basic. To remember this, think of the pH scale, with water at the middle. Water can both accept protons (H3O+, or sometimes just written as aqueous H+) or lose them (OH-, hydroxide). Pure water has a pH of 7.0, and the scale goes from 0-14, so it sits right in the middle.

 

[BigToque]

Yes, the Cl- ion is a VERY weak base (i.e. it sucks as a base, i.e. proton acceptor). All acids and bases are in equilibrium with their alternate forms (e.g. NH3 is a base, NH4+ is an acid). Acidity/basicity is a scale, if something is more acidic it is less basic. To remember this, think of the pH scale, with water at the middle. Water can both accept protons (H3O+, or sometimes just written as aqueous H+) or lose them (OH-, hydroxide). Pure water has a pH of 7.0, and the scale goes from 0-14, so it sits right in the middle.

Thanks. I don't know why, but this is something I would say I knew, but this was definitely an "AH HA! I get it!" moment.

I'm starting to find chemistry really interesting now that certain concepts which seemed completely unrelated at first, are all starting to come together.

 

[Moonbeam]

Thanks. I don't know why, but this is something I would say I knew, but this was definitely an "AH HA! I get it!" moment.

I'm starting to find chemistry really interesting now that certain concepts which seemed completely unrelated at first, are all starting to come together.

You're forming a chemical bond, perhaps.