Arrhenius acid
substance that releases hydrogen (H+) ions when dissolved in water
Arrhenius base
substance that releases hydroxide (OH–) ions when dissolved in water
Brønsted-Lowry acid
compound that can donate a proton to another compound in solution
Brønsted-Lowry base
compound that can accept a proton from another compound in solution
carbanion
negatively charged carbon with three bonds and one lone pair of electrons
carbocation
positively charged carbon with three bonds and no lone pairs of electrons
conjugate acid
molecule or ion formed when a Brønsted-Lowry base has accepted a proton
conjugate base
molecule or ion remaining after a Brønsted-Lowry acid donates its proton to another molecule or ion
electron-pair acceptor
substance that can accept a pair of nonbonding electrons
electron-pair donor
substance that can donate a pair of nonbonding electrons
electronegativity
tendency of an atom to attract electrons toward itself when forming bonds
electrophile
molecule or ion that accepts electrons to form a covalent bond
equilibrium
state in which the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are equal
hybrid orbital
electron orbital that forms when two atomic orbitals combine to form a covalent bond
Lewis acid
electron-pair acceptor in a Lewis acid-base reaction
Lewis base
electron-pair donor in a Lewis acid-base reaction
molecular structure
three-dimensional shape of a molecule that takes into account bonding and nonbonding electron pairs, as well as molecular rotations to minimize their interactions
nucleophile
molecule or ion rich in electrons that donates a pair of electrons that forms a covalent bond
orbital
region in which an electron has a high probability of being located. Orbitals are described by the quantum numbers s, p, d, and f, which differ from one another by their shapes.
pKa
negative log of Ka, where Ka is the acid dissociation constant
potential energy
energy of an object based on its position
proton
H+ ion
proton acceptor
compound capable of removing a proton from another compound or solvent molecule
proton donor
compound that gives up a proton to another compound or solvent molecule
resonance
method that organic chemists use to deal with organic molecules that have two or more Lewis structures with multiple equivalent representations
resonance structure
one of two or more Lewis structures with multiple equivalent representations
strong acid
acid that completely dissociates and has a pH close to the low end of the spectrum. Strong acids have a large Ka.
strong base
base that completely dissociates and has a pH close to the high end of the spectrum. Strong bases have a large Kb.
weak acid
acid in which only a fraction of the molecules dissociates when dissolved in water, resulting in a low concentration of H+ and a pH closer to the middle of the range
weak base
base in which only a fraction of the molecules deprotonates in water, resulting in a low concentration of OH– ions and a pH closer to the middle of the range