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What do strong bases feel like?

Strong bases have high pHs that are close to 14 and can be very corrosive and dangerous in high concentrations. Like all bases, strong bases feel slippery and taste soapy.

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Strong Bases

What is a strong base? Strong bases are defined as chemical substances that behave like bases and dissociate completely into their respective ions. Many strong bases are metal hydroxides, they are composed of a metal {eq}M^+ {/eq} ionically bonding with a hydroxyl ion {eq}OH^- {/eq}, like sodium hydroxide {eq}NaOH {/eq}. Is {eq}OH^- {/eq} a strong base? The word base is not appropriate for hydroxyl {eq}OH^- {/eq}; it is not a base, but a negatively charged ion. Bases tend to ionize into a conjugate acid {eq}B^+ {/eq} and hydroxyl {eq}OH^- {/eq} ions. That does not mean that the hydroxyl ion itself is a base. Bases that do partially dissociate into their conjugate acid and hydroxyl ions are classified as weak bases. It can be deduced that basic solutions with a high concentration of hydroxyl ions {eq}OH^- {/eq} are made of strong bases while solutions with a low concentration of hydroxyl ions originate from weak bases. The table lists a few of the important strong bases along with their uses. Base Chemical Formula Function Sodium Hydroxide NaOH Caustic soda, drain cleaner. Potassium Hydroxide KOH Used as an electrolyte in some batteries, used as a soil pH regulator. Lithium Hydroxide LiOH Used in batteries, mainly in producing cathode materials. Used in synthesizing lithium salts. Calcium Hydroxide Ca(OH)2 It is used in cement, mortars and in synthesizing ammonia. Sodium hydroxide {eq}NaOH {/eq} is one of the most important bases that is used in day-to-day life; it is caustic soda. The primary residential use of caustic soda, also known as lye, is in cleaning drains. Sodium hydroxide is also used in manufacturing soaps and detergents, which are also used for household purposes. Potassium hydroxide {eq}KOH {/eq} is used in alkaline batteries, which are used to power many devices including remote controllers. Figure 1: Sodium hydroxide is caustic soda, which is used in cleaning drains

Figure 2: Potassium hydroxide is used in alkaline batteries

Base Scientific Definition

This subsection explores the base scientific definition. According to Bronsted-Lowry, bases are chemical substances that readily accept hydrogen ions, protons {eq}H^+ {/eq}, from other chemical species they are reacting with. Ammonia's reaction with water is a perfect demonstration on how bases behave in chemical reactions. Ammonia {eq}NH_3 {/eq} accepts one of water's protons, this leads to the formation of ammonium {eq}NH_4^+ {/eq} and the hydroxyl {eq}OH^- {/eq} ion, as shown:

{eq}NH_{3(aq)} + H_2O_{(l)} ightarrow NH_{4(aq)} + OH_{(aq)}^- {/eq}

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Bases are defined differently according to Arrhenius; a substance is categorized as a base if it forms hydroxyl ions upon its dissociation. To summarize: A Bronsted-Lowry base is a chemical species that accepts protons {eq}H^+ {/eq} from other atoms. An Arrhenius base is a chemical that forms hydroxyl ions {eq}OH^- {/eq} when dissociating. An alternative way of identifying bases is through observing whether or not a chemical substance is donating its electrons. According to Lewis' theory, bases donate their electrons when reacting with acids.

What Makes a Strong Base

What makes a strong base? The conventional method of assessing the strength of a base is through measuring its dissociation limits; bases that dissociate completely are strong bases. How does dissociation occur? Dissociation is simply the breaking of a molecule into simpler particles. When a base is put in a solvent like water it dissociates to give smaller particles, ions. The reason why high dissociation is associated with strength is because bases that dissociate completely produce more hydroxyl ions {eq}OH^- {/eq}. And solutions with a high concentration of {eq}OH^- {/eq} ions are more basic than those with low concentrations, according to Arrhenius. Weak bases do not ionize into a large amount of hydroxyl ions {eq}OH^- {/eq} because their dissociation is very limited. Variables like the base dissociation constant Kb are used to assess the dissociation limit of bases. A high Kb value corresponds to high dissociation; strong bases have high dissociation constants Kb.

Superbases (Lewis Bases)

A superbase, alternatively known as a Lewis base, are bases that have an exceptional proton affinity. The conjugate acid ions of superbases are extremely weak, even weaker than those formed by Arrhenius' bases. Superbases deprotonate hydrogen containing atoms strongly to form new compounds; an example is sodium hydride's {eq}NaH {/eq} reaction with water.

{eq}NaH_{(s)} + H_2O_{(l)} ightarrow NaOH_{(aq)} + H_{2(g)} {/eq}

Superbases primarily find most their uses as reagents in organic chemical synthesis. The following are some examples of popular superbases.

Sodium amide {eq}NaNH_2 {/eq}

Sodium hydride {eq}NaH {/eq}

Butyl lithium (n-BuLi) {eq}C_4H_9Li {/eq}

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