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Chemistry LibreTexts

Base Strength

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Base strength of a species is its ability to accept H+ from another species (see, Brønsted-Lowry theory). The greater the ability of a species to accept a H+ from another species, the greater its base strength. Organic chemists customarily compare the strength of bases using the strengths of their conjugate acids, measured as pKa.

eg: Base strengths of F ¯ and HS ¯

conjugate acid of F ¯ = F ¯ + H+ = HF
conjugate acid of HS ¯ = HS ¯ + H+ = H2S

basestrength.png

HF is a stronger acid than H2S. The stronger the acid, the weaker the conjugate base, and vice versa. Thus, HS ¯ is a stronger base than F ¯.


This page titled Base Strength is shared under a All Rights Reserved (used with permission) license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Gamini Gunawardena via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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