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Autoprotolysis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In chemistry, autoprotolysis is a chemical reaction in which a proton is transferred between two identical molecules, one of which acts as a Brønsted acid, releasing a proton which is accepted by the other molecule acting as a Brønsted base.[1] For example, water undergoes autoprotolysis in the self-ionization of water reaction. It is a type of molecular autoionization.

2 H2O ⇌ OH + H3O+

Any solvent that contains both acidic hydrogen and lone pairs of electrons to accept H+ can undergo autoprotolysis.

For example, ammonia in its purest form may undergo autoprotolysis:

2 NH3 ⇌ NH2 + NH+4

Another example is acetic acid:

2 CH3COOH ⇌ CH3COO + CH3COOH+2

References

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  1. ^ IUPAC, Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book") (1997). Online corrected version: (2006–) "autoprotolysis". doi:10.1351/goldbook.A00531