Writing Reactions: Acid/Base Balanced Reactions

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The discussion centers on understanding how to identify acids and bases in chemical reactions, particularly in aqueous solutions. The first example involves the reaction of hydrofluoric acid (HF) with water, where HF acts as the acid yielding hydronium ions (H3O+) and fluoride ions (F-). The participant seeks clarification on how to determine the products of the reaction and whether the physical states of the substances (solid, liquid, gas) influence the reaction outcome. In the second example, ammonia (NH3) reacts with water, with water serving as the acid and producing ammonium ions (NH4+) and hydroxide ions (OH-). The participant expresses confusion about predicting the products of these reactions and whether the identification of acids and bases should be based on their strength. The consensus emphasizes the importance of understanding the properties of the substances involved to accurately predict the behavior of reactants in acid-base reactions.
d.tran103
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Okay, I'm reviewing how to write reactions to determine which reactant should behave as the acid and which should behave as the base. I haven't seen this material in over a year and am actually trying to help someone out with a class. I know the ionic charge should balance on both sides.

1) HF(aq) + H2O(l) <---> H3O+(aq) + F-(aq)
I know that the acid is HF and its conjugate base is F-, while H2O is the base and H3O is its conjugate acid. My problem here is knowing how to write the balanced reaction. How am I supposed to know that it yields H3O+(aq) + F-(aq)? For example, I could see it going to OH- + H2F+ as well. Does the state (gas,solid,liquid, etc.) have any importance?

2) NH3(aq) +H2O(l)<--->NH4+(aq)+OH-(aq)
H2O is the acid and OH- is its conjugate base. NH3 is the base and NH4+ is its conjugate acid. I'm having the same problem here. How do I know what NH3 and H2O is supposed to yield?

Thanks!
 
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Do I have to figure out which reactant will behave as the base or acid first? And would this be based off of strong/weak acids/bases?
 
You need to study structure and properties of various elements and compounds. Once you know how a particular element/compound behaves you can predict reactions
 
d.tran103 said:
Do I have to figure out which reactant will behave as the base or acid first? And would this be based off of strong/weak acids/bases?

Yes & yes.
 
Okay thanks!
 

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