Chapter 6: Problem 26
IIcat of ncutralization of any strong acid by any strong basc is the same because (1) Basically it is the same reaction taking place in all such cases. (2) Basically it is the reaction of \(\mathrm{H}^{-}+\mathrm{OH} \rightarrow \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) (3) Strong acids and strong bases ionize completely in water. (4) All the above.
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
neutralization reaction
This process is exothermic, meaning it releases heat. The amount of heat released is called the heat of neutralization. For strong acids and bases, the heat of neutralization is almost always the same. This is because the reaction primarily involves \(\text{H}^{+}\) and \(\text{OH}^{-}\) ions forming water.
strong acids and bases
- Complete dissociation means that in any solution of a strong acid or base, all the initial molecules break apart into their respective ions.
- This results in a high concentration of \(\text{H}^{+}\) ions in acids and \(\text{OH}^{-}\) ions in bases.
- Because of this uniform dissociation, the reaction between any strong acid and any strong base always involves the same reactants: \(\text{H}^{+}\) and \(\text{OH}^{-}\).
This results in the heat of neutralization for strong acids and bases being remarkably consistent. The energy change remains uniform because the chemical change is essentially the same every time.
complete ionization
- For hydrochloric acid, this means every molecule splits into \(\text{H}^{+}\) and \(\text{Cl}^{-}\) ions.
- In the case of sodium hydroxide, it splits into \(\text{Na}^{+}\) and \(\text{OH}^{-}\) ions.
This complete ionization is crucial for the uniformity of the heat of neutralization. Because all molecules of the acid and base separate into ions, the total reaction is simply \(\text{H}^{+}\) ions meeting \(\text{OH}^{-}\) ions to form water: \[ \text{H}^{+} + \text{OH}^{-} \rightarrow \text{H}_{2}\text{O} \]
This simplicity ensures that the same amount of energy is released each time the reaction occurs, leading to a consistent heat of neutralization for all strong acids and bases.