Acids and bases

This chapter describes two broader definitions of acids and bases and introduces the Brønsted–Lowry theory, in which an acid is defined as a proton donor and a base is defined as a proton acceptor. It also reviews the Lewis theory, in which an acid is defined as an electron pair acceptor and a base is defined as an electron pair donor. This is considered a wide definition as all Brønsted–Lowry acids are Lewis acids, but not all Lewis acids are Brønsted–Lowry acids. The chapter identifies the conjugate acid and conjugate base for an acid–base reaction. It details how to calculate the pH of a solution of a strong or weak acid and a strong or weak base and determine the position of an acid–base equilibrium using K_a and K_b.