BrønstedLowry

Brønsted-Lowry theory is a fundamental concept in acid-base chemistry, named after Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted and Thomas Martin Lowry. It defines acids and bases in terms of proton transfer. According to this theory, an acid is a substance that can donate a proton (H+), while a base is a substance that can accept a proton. This proton transfer results in the formation of a conjugate acid-base pair. For example, when hydrochloric acid (HCl) donates a proton to water (H2O), it forms the conjugate base chloride ion (Cl-) and the conjugate acid hydronium ion (H3O+). Conversely, ammonia (NH3) can accept a proton from water, forming the conjugate acid ammonium ion (NH4+) and the conjugate base hydroxide ion (OH-). The Brønsted-Lowry theory provides a more comprehensive understanding of acid-base reactions compared to the earlier Arrhenius theory, which only considered aqueous solutions and specific types of acids and bases. It is widely used in chemistry to explain the behavior of acids and bases in various solvents and conditions.