Chemical Formula

[Eryn Wilkinson 3H]

How do you identify whether it is an acid or a base just by looking at the chemical formula?

[Rebecca Cheung 1E]

If it's a metal it's a base. If it's a nonmetal it's an acid. For example, KOH and NaOH are bases because they contain alkaline earth metals. HBr and HCl are acids because they contain nonmetals.

[Jean Mok 3K]

If the molecule is made with a metal element, then it's a base. If the molecules is made a nonmetal element, it's an acid. You can also see if there are Hydronium ions being produced or hydroxide ions being produced.

[Kevin Liu 3G]

It's also helpful to remember that generally acids start with an H or end with -COOH while bases generally end with -OH. It might not be true for everything but is for most things I have encountered.

[RussellChin_3A]

A general rule is that if a molecule contains OH, it is considered a base. If a molecule has an H attached to it, it is generally an acid. Another way to identify if it is an acid or base is to identify the bronsted lowry acid and base by keeping track of the transfer of protons during the reaction.

[Troy Tavangar 1I]

Generally, if the molecule contains a nonmetal, it is an acid. Inversely, if the molecule contains a metal, it is generally a base.