Chemistry › Section N · Acid-base equilibria › Topic N.5
Polyprotic acids
Carbonic acid in fizzy water, phosphoric acid in cola and sulfuric acid in a car battery can each give up more than one proton. They do it one proton at a time, each step weaker than the last, and that pattern makes their chemistry simpler than it first looks.
In this topic
- Counting the acidic protons
- One proton at a time
- Why each step is weaker
- Treating the steps one at a time
- Worked example: carbonated water
- Worked example: phosphoric acid
- Sulfuric acid is a special case
- Which form dominates at a given pH?
- Polyprotic bases
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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