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Language of Chemistry

Common Student Misconceptions

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Brønsted-Lowry acid - a proton donor.
Brønsted-Lowry base - a proton acceptor.
Concentration - the number of moles solute (for example, acid or base) per liter of solution.
End point - the point in a titration when the indicator changes color.

Indicator - a weak acid or base which changes colors over a narrow pH range.
Lewis acid - an electron acceptor.
Lewis base - an electron donor.
Molarity - a concentration term defined as the number of moles of solute per liter of solution.
Neutralization - a reaction between an acid and a base in which the acid and base properties disappear.
Strength - the percentage of ionized molecules of acid (or base).



1. The word acid comes from the Latin acidus, for sour. One property of acids is their sour taste, such as that experienced with yogurt, pickles, and lemons.
   
2. The terms strong and weak are not synonymous with concentrated and dilute, respectively (see Common Misconceptions).
   
3. For consecutive integer values of pH, H⁺ concentrations differ by a factor of 10. For example, solutions of pH = 1 ([H⁺] = 10^-1 M) and pH = 2 ([H⁺] = 10^-2 M) have a H⁺ concentration ratio of 10, that is, 10^-1 / 10^-2 = 10
   
4. Solutions with high hydrogen ion concentration have a low pH. A solution with pH = 1 has a [H⁺] = 10^-1 M; a solution with pH = 6 has a [H⁺] = 10^-6 M. Figure 17 provides convenient conversion scales between pH and concentration.

5. pH-pOH Square. Equations over or next to arrows are conversion equations. Given one corner, the other can be calculated using the conversion equation.



Figure 17. Scales for pH-concentration relationships.

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Figure 18. pH-pOH square.

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