What do acids and bases produce in solution?

What do acids and bases produce in solution?

• A. Acids produce hydroxide ions; bases produce hydrogen ions
• B. Acids produce hydrogen ions in solution; bases produce hydroxide ions
• C. Acids and bases produce only water
• D. Acids absorb heat; bases release gas

Answer: (B)

Acids and bases in an aqueous solution produce charged particles that determine how they act. According to the Arrhenius definitions, an acid releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water, which means H+ is present (in water, this is effectively H3O+). A base releases hydroxide ions, OH-. For example, hydrochloric acid dissociates to H+ and Cl-, while sodium hydroxide dissociates to Na+ and OH-. The presence of extra H3O+ makes the solution acidic, and extra OH- makes it basic. The other statements don’t describe what happens in solution: acids and bases don’t simply produce water, and their defining features aren’t about heat absorption or gas release.

Acids and bases in an aqueous solution produce charged particles that determine how they act. According to the Arrhenius definitions, an acid releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water, which means H+ is present (in water, this is effectively H3O+). A base releases hydroxide ions, OH-. For example, hydrochloric acid dissociates to H+ and Cl-, while sodium hydroxide dissociates to Na+ and OH-. The presence of extra H3O+ makes the solution acidic, and extra OH- makes it basic. The other statements don’t describe what happens in solution: acids and bases don’t simply produce water, and their defining features aren’t about heat absorption or gas release.