BIO130H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Amine, Arginine, Weak Base
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BIO130H1 Full Course Notes
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Protons are not only found within atomic nuclei, they are also released into the medium whenever a hydrogen atom loses a shared electron. Consider acetic acid the distinctive ingredient of vinegar which can undergo the following reaction, described as a dissociation: Any molecule that is capable of accepting a proton is defined as a. Thus, the acid always contains one more positive charge than its conjugate base. Water is an example of an amphoteric molecule, that is, one that can serve both as an acid and a base: The conjugate base of a strong acid, such as hcl, is a weak base: acetic acid, in contrast, is a relatively weak acid because for the most part it remains undissociated when dissolved in water. In a sense, one can consider the degree of dissociation of an acid in terms of the competition for protons among the components of a solution.
