polyprotic acids and bases

[505997354]

Hello,
On the course website it says we should have learned to calculate PoH and Ph for a polyprotic acid, how do we know if an acid/base is polyprotic?

[905960080]

Usually, it will be in the question that the compound is polyprotic and they will give you two k values. You can also tell by the formula for compounds like HSO4 because they only have one proton to donate.

[Valeria Perez 3J]

An acid/base is polyprotic if it can accept or donate more than one proton per molecule in a chemical reaction. Think back to a very common example: H2SO4. This molecule can donate 2 H+ ions per molecule making it a polyprotic acid. A related example of a polyprotic base would then be SO4^2- since this molecule would be able to accept 2 H+ ions.