How is the "Bronsted Lowry"Bronsted Lowry theory of acidity formulated?

1 Answer
anor277
Jan 5, 2017

The physical chemists, Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted in Denmark and Thomas Martin Lowry in England, independently proposed an acid-base theory that carries their names.

Explanation:

In their conception of acid base behaviour, an acid and a base exchanged a proton, H^+H+, to form a "conjugate acid"conjugate acid and "conjugate base"conjugate base. The acid was the proton donor, and the base, the proton acceptor. And thus in the autoprotolysis of water, the water molcule was simultaneously the acid and the base:

2H_2O rightleftharpoonsH_3O^(+) + ""^(-)HO2H2O⇌H3O++−HO.

And for a stronger acid, such as HXHX,

HX(aq) + H_2O(l) rightleftharpoons H_3O^(+) + X^-HX(aq)+H2O(l)⇌H3O++X−

it is clear which is the acid, the proton donor, and which is the base, the proton acceptor.

I once asked a Dane who was quite an accomplished linguist what was the difference in pronounciation between "Brønsted"Brønsted, and "Bronsted". He just laughed and told me not to bother.

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