If a solution is dissolved into water, strong electrolyte solution will be completely ionized with dissociate constant (α=1), weak electrolyte solution will be partly ionized (0<α<1), whereas non-electrolyte solution will not be ionized. It can be proven by conducting an experiment with lamp. The lamp will light brightly in strong electrolyte; while it will light dimly in weak electrolyte solution, and it will not light in non-electrolyte solution.
Acid and base solutions are electrolyte solutions because they will undergo ionization reaction if they are dissolved in water. Included into electrolyte solution, acid-base solution, acid-base solutions can be classified into strong acids and strong base (completely ionized) and weak acids and weak bases (partly ionized). So, acid-base strengths can be defined by dissociate constant (α).
Acids | Bases | ||
Strong (α=1) | Weak (0<α<1) | Strong (α=1) | Weak (0<α<1) |
HCl, H2SO4, HNO3 and HClO4 | CH3COOH, HNO2 | NaOH, KOH, Ba(OH)2, and Ca(OH)2 | NH3, CH2NH2 |
