Amphoteric vs amphiprotic
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Amphoteric vs amphiprotic
What's the difference between describing something as amphoteric vs. amphiprotic?
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Re: Amphoteric vs amphiprotic
Amphoteric and amphiprotic are basically the same thing. However, amphoteric is more widely used because it does not require a substance to accept and donate protons. An amphiprotic substance specifically requires that an amphoteric substance transfer H+ ions. Hope this makes sense. Essentially, all amphiprotic substances are amphoteric, but the reverse is not true.
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Re: Amphoteric vs amphiprotic
Amphiprotic compounds can accept or donate H+ ions specifically, whereas amphoteric compounds can act as both acids and bases without transferring H+ ions. All amphiprotic compounds are amphoteric, but not all amphoteric compounds are amphiprotic.
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Re: Amphoteric vs amphiprotic
An example that is in the textbook is that aluminum oxide is amphoteric because it reacts with both acids and bases, but it has no hydrogen atoms to donate as protons so it is not amphiprotic.
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