Effect of solvents on properties of acids and bases
Acid-base discrimination windows of common solvents[1]
Leveling effect or solvent leveling refers to the effect of solvent on the properties of acids and bases. The strength of a strong acid is limited ("leveled") by the basicity of the solvent. Similarly the strength of a strong base is leveled by the acidity of the solvent. When a strong acid is dissolved in water, it reacts with it to form hydronium ion (H3O+).[2] An example of this would be the following reaction, where "HA" is the strong acid:
HA + H2O → A− + H3O+
Any acid that is stronger than H3O+ reacts with H2O to form H3O+. Therefore, no acid stronger than H3O+ exists in H2O. For example, aqueous perchloric acid (HClO4), aqueous hydrochloric acid (HCl) and aqueous nitric acid (HNO3) are all completely ionized, and are all equally strong acids.[3]
Similarly, when ammonia is the solvent, the strongest acid is ammonium (NH4+), thus HCl and a super acid exert the same acidifying effect.
The same argument applies to bases. In water, OH− is the strongest base. Thus, even though sodium amide (NaNH2) is an exceptional base (pKa of NH3 ~ 33), in water it is only as good as sodium hydroxide. On the other hand, NaNH2 is a far more basic reagent in ammonia than is NaOH.
The pH range allowed by a particular solvent is called the acid-base discrimination window.[1]
^ abAtkins, P.W. (2010). Shriver and Atkins' Inorganic Chemistry, Fifth Edition. Oxford University Press. pp. 121. ISBN 978-1-42-921820-7.
^Zumdahl, S. S. “Chemistry” Heath, 1986: Lexington, MA. ISBN 0-669--04529-2.
^Skoog, Douglas A.; West, Donald M.; Holler, F. James; Crouch, Stanley R. (2014). Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry (9th ed.). Brooks/Cole. pp. 201–202. ISBN 978-0-495-55828-6.
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