Which of the following ions can act as a Bronsted acid and base in water?
Correct answer: A. HCO-
- A. HCO-
- B. CN-
- C. NO3-
- D. PO4-
Explanation
The HCO- ion can act as a Bronsted acid by donating a proton to a water molecule, forming H2CO3. It can also act as a Bronsted base by accepting a proton from water, forming H2O and CO32-.
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About Bronsted-Lowry and Lewis Concepts
The Brønsted-Lowry concept defines acids as proton donors and bases as proton acceptors, producing conjugate acid-base pairs. The Lewis concept extends the idea to electron-pair acceptors and donors, so compounds such as BF3 and NH3 can be treated as acid and base even without proton transfer, unlike the Arrhenius definition.
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