alleryStart learning →How did Arrhenius define an acid?
AA compound giving hydrogen cations in water
BA compound giving hydroxide anions in water
CA compound accepting a pair of electrons
DA compound that turns red litmus paper blue
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. A compound giving hydrogen cations in water
1. Arrhenius framed both acids and bases in terms of what they release in water.
2. An acid dissolves in water to yield hydrogen cations, now recognised as hydronium ions.
3. A base dissolves in water to yield hydroxide anions.
4. The definition is not wrong, it is simply limited, since it only describes aqueous solutions.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry (CC BY 4.0), Ch 14 "Acid-Base Equilibria", section 14.1 Brønsted-Lowry Acids and Bases_
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