L2 - Predicting the Acid-Base Equilibrium

In the previous lesson you learned about the Brønsted-Lowry concept. You were able to use this principle to explain the chemical change occurring in an acid-base reaction. However, this principle is not able to explain why certain acid-base combinations will react and others will not. In this lesson you will investigate how to predict the outcome of acid-base reactions and to determine the equilibrium position for such reactions.

Consider the following question as you complete this lesson:

• How is knowledge of the equilibrium of aqueous systems involved in predicting the outcome of acid-base reactions?

In this lesson you will begin to use the “Relative Strengths of Acids and Bases at 298.15 K” table located on pages 8 and 9 of the Chemistry Data Booklet. You may recall that the Module 8 Assessment requires you to consider the structure of this table. It may be helpful to review the Module 8 Assessment before you start this lesson.