Naoh Weak Or Strong Base

Why's sodium hydroxide a strong base, while ammonia a weak base?

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is strong base because information technology fully dissociates in water to produce hydroxide ions. While ammonia (NH_iii) is weak base because it accepts protons from water to produce fewer hydroxide ions in solution. Because potent bases fully dissociate in water, they produce lots of hydroxide ions in solution, making the solution more than basic. While weak bases produce fewer hydroxide ions, making the solution less bones.

If nosotros write an equilibrium equation for sodium hydroxide, here is how it will announced.

Strong base dissociates — **Stiff base of operations dissociates**

From the equilibrium equation, you lot can see that a single arrow points to the right. This pointer conveys the bulletin that stiff bases fully dissociate in water and that the equilibrium for the dissociation lies largely to the right

Thus, the more hydroxide ions you take in solution, the larger the base dissociation constant (K_b) and the stronger the base.

Here is a molecular level diagram showing the complete dissociation of NaOH in water.

Strong dissociating in water — **Potent dissociating in water**

If we write the equilibrium equation for NH_iii, here is how it volition announced:

Weak base dissociating in water — **Weak base of operations dissociating in h2o**

Equally you can see, ammonia does not dissociates, it only accepts a proton from water to generate the hydroxide ion. The shorter pointer pointing to the right shows that only few ammonia molecules accepts a proton from h2o to produce hydroxide and ammonium ions. Yet, these ions easily combine to become dorsum ammonia and water. Significant the equilibrium lies largely to the left, which is why nosotros drew the reverse arrow longer than the forward arrow.

More often than not, we can write the equilibrium equation for a weak base as:

Weak base dissociating constant — **Weak base of operations dissociating constant**

We get the base dissociating constant, G_b when we multiply the equilibrium constant, K_c by [H_iiO]. We did this because for dilute solution the concentration of water is relatively constant.

You will also notice in the molecular level diagram that simply few NH₃ molecules take protons from h2o to generate hydroxide and ammonium ions.

If yous desire to acquire more nearly potent acids and weak acids, click here, and virtually electrolytes click here.