Asked by sstt

What is not included in the Arrhenius theory of acids and bases?

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
The Arrhenius theory only defines acids as substances that produce H+ (H3O+) in aqueous solution and bases as substances that produce OH− in aqueous solution. It therefore does NOT cover:

- Lewis acids and bases (electron-pair acceptors/donors) or any acid–base reactions that do not involve H+ or OH− (e.g., BF3 + NH3).
- Acid–base behavior in nonaqueous solvents (it is restricted to water).
- Many broader Bronsted–Lowry phenomena that involve proton transfer in nonaqueous media or where the species do not themselves contain H+ or OH−.

In short: reactions and species that don’t involve generation of H+ or OH− in water are not included.