They react with each other in the molar ratio of 1:1.Īs per the concepts of salts, a combination of a strong base and weak acid leads to form a basic salt. Ok, Now come to the point Is NaHCO 3 act as basic salt? As we know, Sodium bicarbonate formed when NaOH(Strong base) reacts with H 2CO 3(Weak acid). So, here, HCO 3 – act as an acid in presence of strong bases. And anything that donates the proton is considered as acid as per Bronsted-Lowry theory.īronsted-Lowry’s theory for acid said that “the acid is the substance that donates the proton to reacting species”.Īs we see in the above figure, HCO 3 – is donating the proton to OH – and forming H 2O and carbonate ion(CO 3 2-). So, when HCO 3 – reacts with a compound having OH – ion, then HCO 3 – will act as an acid and therefore, have to donate a proton. This is because a stronger base has more ability to “accept the proton”. Now, How does NaHCO 3 act as an acid? When its bicarbonate ion(HCO 3 –) reacts with a strong base such as OH –, it will act as an acid. So, this is how NaHCO 3 acts as a base because of the hydrolysis of its bicarbonate ion(HCO 3 –). Hence, according to the above definition, HCO 3 – act as an Arrhenius base as well Bronsted Lowry base when reacting with the water molecules.
So, the anion(HCO 3 –) of sodium bicarbonate(NaHCO 3), when dissolved in water, accepts the proton from the water molecule and produces OH – ions. The hydrolysis process of bicarbonate ion(HCO 3 –) is responsible for the basic nature of NaHCO 3.Īs per Bronsted-Lowry base theory, a compound is said to base when it accepts the proton from reacting species.Īnd according to the Arrhenius base theory, a compound is said to be base when it produce OH – ions in water solution. The Na + ion is just a spectator ion as it is a cation of the strong base(NaOH), hence, it doesn’t take part in the chemical reaction whereas the HCO 3 – ion is the anion of the weak acid that can easily undergo hydrolysis. But, How NaHCO 3 can act as a base? When NaHCO 3 is dissolved in water, it dissociates into two ions Na + and HCO 3 –.