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Weak vs Strong Acids and Bases: The Football Analogy
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Abstract
An important topic in any introductory chemistry course is that of acids and bases. Students generally have no trouble learning the Brønsted-Lowry definition of an acid as a proton donor and a base as a proton acceptor. Problems often arise, however, when chemistry teachers attempt to explain the difference between weak and strong acids, and between weak and strong bases. For acids in aqueous solution, discussing complete in contrast to partial ionization works well for those with a strong grasp of the equilibrium concept, but for many students it does not seem to do the trick. Partial ionization may not evoke much in the mind of a "visual learner". Accordingly, I have developed a football analogy for acids and bases in which acids are compared to quarterbacks, whose job is to get rid of the ball (H+). A strong acid, like an excellent quarterback, delivers the ball effectively; a weak acid, like a poor quarterback, is often left holding the ball. Furthermore, bases may be likened to wide receivers, whose job is to catch and hold onto the ball (H+). A strong base, like an excellent wide receiver, holds onto the ball; a weak base, like a poor receiver, often drops the ball. The concept of throwing and catching a ball is easy to visualize and the analogy to acids and bases can help even students unfamiliar with the mores of the gridiron to comprehend the mores of aqueous protons.
Keywords (Audience):
High School / Introductory ChemistryKeywords (Feature):
Applications and AnalogiesKeywords (Pedagogy):
Analogies / TransferKeywords (Subject):
Acids / BasesCiting Articles
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This article has been cited by 2 ACS Journal articles (2 most recent appear below).
Acidities of Water and Methanol in Aqueous Solution and DMSO
Daqing GaoJournal of Chemical Education2009 86 (7), 864Acidities of Water and Methanol in Aqueous Solution and DMSO
Daqing GaoJournal of Chemical Education2009 86 (7), 864The relative acidities of water and methanol have been a nagging issue. In gas phase, methanol is more acidic than water by 36.0 kJ/mol; however, in aqueous solution, the acidities of methanol and water are almost identical. The acidity of an acid in ...
Unified Approximations: A New Approach for Monoprotic Weak Acid-Base Equilibria
Harry L. Pardue , Ihab N. Odeh and Teweldemedhin M. TesfaiJournal of Chemical Education2004 81 (9), 1367Unified Approximations: A New Approach for Monoprotic Weak Acid-Base Equilibria
Harry L. Pardue , Ihab N. Odeh and Teweldemedhin M. TesfaiJournal of Chemical Education2004 81 (9), 1367This article describes a new approach to approximate calculations for monoprotic acid–base equilibria in otherwise pure water. The new approach, identified herein as unified approximations, uses a simple decision criterion to select between situations ...
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- Received: August 03, 2009
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