[Doc. Hankins]

I have a test coming up this thursday over this and i am having a little bit of trouble. The material is easy material I just can't get it to click in my head. I am one of those "why?" people and if unanswered I have i problems forevermore. So if we could get a thread of discussion going for the next few days I would appreciate it my fellow colleagues.

[Doc. Hankins]

I suppose i should really give us some starting ground to open up the discussion. I am going through the chapter and everything is fine. Then we get to the point at which there is a dicussion about if you have this and this on the reactant side tell me the products. Henceforth we must know what is the acid and what is the base. This is easy if its a combination of HCL and H20 because of course the hydrocholoric acid is the acid and is going to give up its H+ ion to create hydronium as a reactant and therefore the water is the base. But what about in a circumstance when its a combination of NH3 and H20. Okay NH3 is the base because it is going to accept one of H20's hydrogen ions. But why??? i understand it is going to create NH4 and OH- but why??? if all your giving is this :

NH3+ reacts with H20. label your bases and acids and tell the products. then label your conjugate bases and acids..how are you supposed to just know which is the acid and which is the base? does it have to do with the charge of NH3 needing to reach electric neutrality with the other side of the reaction or is there some secret i dont know about.

[Borek]

NH₃ has a free electron pair ready to accept a proton.

[Doc. Hankins]

can you elaborate im not quite sure i understand? if you dont mind.

[Borek]

When NH₃'s free electron pair accepts a proton it becomes NH₄⁺. This reactin means proton has moved from someweher to ammonia, and moving protons are what defines acids and bases, at least in the Brønsted-Lowry theory of acids and bases.

[Doc. Hankins]

Ok, I get that much. I am not quite sure why I am having issues with this subject. I think my brain is trying to over complicate the issue.  I'm fixing to review the last half of the chapter after i finish this math homework and then i'll repost if another issue arises. Believe me im sure it will. Thanks for the help so far.

[Doc. Hankins]

Ok question, When a gas is formed in one of these solution's products. How are you supposed to know that C2HO3 "dissociates" into H20 and CO2 is that just something that you have to know or memorize because it is listed in a chart in my chem book but i was just curious if there was some secret to this or just know it. Thanks for any responses. They're all greatly appreciated.