alleryStart learning →Gay-Lussac concluded that acids and bases can be defined:
ABy their colour alone
BBy their density alone
CIn terms of each other
DBy their taste alone
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. In terms of each other
1. Early chemists sought a definition that did not depend on tasting a sample.
2. Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac concluded that acids are substances that can neutralise bases.
3. He also concluded that these two classes of substances can be defined only in terms of each other.
4. That relational view survives in the Bronsted-Lowry picture of conjugate pairs.
5. Density and colour vary widely within each class, so neither could serve.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 14 'Acid-Base Equilibria', sections 14.1-14.7_
Keep practising Acid-Base Equilibria
Browse all Acid-Base Equilibria questions for AP Chemistry, or explore more Chemistry topics.
Related questions
Complete the strength ruleSort each gas by the acid it makesTrue or false: acids and basesMatch each acid-base termAcidic or basic at 25 C?Bicarbonate demonstrates amphiprotic behaviour because it can react with water as:Unlike Ka, the percent ionization of a weak acid typically changes when:Ordering acetic acid and nitrous acid by increasing strength gives: