Identifying Weak Acids and Bases
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Identifying Weak Acids and Bases
What are some easy ways to identify acids and bases? (For example, if we're given NH2NH2, how would we know that this is a base?). Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
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Re: Identifying Weak Acids and Bases
Hi! For NH2NH2, you can determine it's a base because it has NH2 which is an amine group. Amines often signal that the compound is a base. For weak acids, look to see if it has COOH, otherwise known as a carboxyl group, as this indicates acidity.
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Re: Identifying Weak Acids and Bases
Thank you, that makes sense!! Also, how do you know if something like (CH3)3N is an amine? How can you tell (since it doesn't have NH2)?
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Re: Identifying Weak Acids and Bases
Of course! So, I looked it up to double check and the general idea of an amine group is that it contains a nitrogen atom with a lone pair of electrons. So for (CH3)3N, it is known as a tertiary amine group, but I highly doubt you'd have to know the specifics of that! Another easy way to figure out what is a weak acid vs base is to memorize the strong acids/bases. I think in most cases, a problem will offer some other information to help you figure out whether it's a weak base or acid as well.
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Re: Identifying Weak Acids and Bases
For strong acids, it's easiest to memorize the few strong acids, and assume all other acids are weak.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
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