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Home Q & A Board Science-Related Homework Help Chemistry (Moderator: Laser_3)
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rkim12 rkim12
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11 years ago
I know that the presence of H generally means it will act as an acid, but then there are groups like amino groups, where NH2 acts as a base, becoming NH3. And does -OH (hydroxyl) act as a base or an acid?
I just really don't understand how you tell when a group will act as an acid or a base when attached to some other compound. Please explain if you understand!
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11 years ago
If a group can accept hydrogens it will act like an base, if it donated hydrogens it will act like an acid. In the case amino groups they can accept H+ to become R-NH3+ if they then give it away in an reaction they are then acids. With -OH they can accept H+ to form H2O and there for are bases. H2O + H+ on the other hand is not a base although it does form H3O+ which is an acid.
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lewiscl5lewiscl5
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11 years ago
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