Question

What is the Brønsted-Lowry base in each of the following compounds?

1) CO₃²⁻
2) OH⁻
3) HCO₃-
4) H₂CO₃

Answer 1

The Brønsted-Lowry base in CO32− is the ion itself, in OH− it is the ion itself, and in HCO3− it is the ion itself. H2CO3 is a Brønsted-Lowry acid and does not act as a base in this context.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the Brønsted-Lowry acid-base theory, a Brønsted-Lowry base is defined as a substance that can accept a proton (H+). Among the given compounds, the Brønsted-Lowry base in each can be identified as follows:

• CO32− acts as a Brønsted-Lowry base because it can accept a proton to form HCO3−, its conjugate acid.
• OH− is a Brønsted-Lowry base as it can accept a proton to form water (H2O), its conjugate acid.
• HCO3− is also a Brønsted-Lowry base because it can accept a proton to become H2CO3, its conjugate acid.
• For H2CO3, it acts as a Brønsted-Lowry acid as it tends to donate a proton to form HCO3−, but within the context of the question, which asks for the base, it does not act as a base.