Base (chemistry) - Strong Bases

Strong Bases

A strong base is a basic chemical compound that is able to deprotonate very weak acids in an acid-base reaction. Common examples of strong bases are the hydroxides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals like NaOH and Ca(OH)2. Very strong bases are even able to deprotonate very weakly acidic C–H groups in the absence of water. Here is a list of several strong bases:

  • Potassium hydroxide (KOH)
  • Barium hydroxide (Ba(OH)2)
  • Caesium hydroxide (CsOH)
  • Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
  • Strontium hydroxide (Sr(OH)2)
  • Calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2)
  • Lithium hydroxide (LiOH)
  • Rubidium hydroxide (RbOH)

The cations of these strong bases appear in the first and second groups of the periodic table (alkali and earth alkali metals).

Acids with a pKa of more than about 13 are considered very weak, and their conjugate bases are strong bases.

Read more about this topic:  Base (chemistry)

Famous quotes containing the words strong and/or bases:

    The aphorism sometimes casts off cynicism and expresses strong feeling.
    Mason Cooley (b. 1927)

    The information links are like nerves that pervade and help to animate the human organism. The sensors and monitors are analogous to the human senses that put us in touch with the world. Data bases correspond to memory; the information processors perform the function of human reasoning and comprehension. Once the postmodern infrastructure is reasonably integrated, it will greatly exceed human intelligence in reach, acuity, capacity, and precision.
    Albert Borgman, U.S. educator, author. Crossing the Postmodern Divide, ch. 4, University of Chicago Press (1992)