acids - substances that ionize to form hydrogen ions

• aka proton donors (H+ is essentially just a proton)
• monoprotic acids - donate 1 hydrogen ion per molecule (ex. HCl, HNO3)
• diprotic acids - donate 2 hydrogen ions per molecule (ex. H2SO4); ionization occurs in 2 steps

bases - substances that accept hydrogen ions, produce hydroxide ions in reactions

• ex. NaOH, KOH, Ca(OH)2
• doesn't necessarily have to contain hydroxide ions
• must accept hydrogen ion

strength of acids/bases

• strong electrolyte = strong acid/base
• weak electrolyte = weak acid/base
• reactivity - depends on the actions of both the cation/anion, not just strength of acid/base
• strong acids - HCl, HBr, HI, HClO3, HNO3, H2SO4
• strong bases - group 1A/2A metal hydroxides
• molecular compounds that aren't acids/bases are nonelectrolytes

neutralization reactions - mixing an acidic and base solution

• product has none of the characteristics of the reactants
• salt - ionic compound whose cation comes from a base and whose anion comes from an acid
• neutralization reaction between an acid and metal hydroxide produces water and a salt
• sulfate/carbonate combine w/ hydrogen ions to form gas

oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions - involve transfer of electrons between reactants

• oxidation - loss of electrons in a substance
• reduction - gain of electrons in a substance
• in reactions, 1 reactant loses an electron and another reaction gains an electron
• oxidation/reduction come together

oxidation number - aka oxidation state; actual chargeof the atom as a monoatomic ion

• oxidation >> increase in oxidation number
• reduction >> decrease in oxidation number
• equals 0 when atom is in its elemental form
• equals charge for all monoatomic ions
• usually negative for all nonmetals
• sum of all oxidation numbers in a neutral compound equals 0

displacement reaction - ion in a solution gets replaced through oxidation of an element

• A + BX >> AX + B
• metals undergo displacement reactions w/ acids to form salts and hydrogen gas
• net ionic reaction shows a change in oxidation states

activity series - list of metals arranged in order of decreasing oxidation

• oxidation causes metals to be eaten away
• active metals - metals at the top of the list; alkali/alkaline earth metals; reacts most readily to form compounds
• noble metals - metals at the bottom of the list; 8B/1B metals
• any metal can be oxidized by elements below it on the list
• only metals above hydrogen in the activity series can react w/ acids to form H2