alkalinity
(noun)
a measure of the overall concentration of hydroxide ions in solution
Examples of alkalinity in the following topics:
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The Alkaline Earth Metals
- The alkaline earth metals comprise the group 2 elements.
- All the discovered alkaline earth metals occur in nature.
- In chemical terms, all of the alkaline metals react with the halogens to form ionic alkaline earth metal halides.
- All the alkaline earth metals except beryllium also react with water to form strongly alkaline hydroxides which should be handled with great care.
- The heavier alkaline earth metals react more vigorously than the lighter ones.
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Dry Cell Battery
- Another example of a dry-cell battery is the alkaline battery.
- Alkaline batteries are almost the same as zinc-carbon batteries, except that the electrolyte used is potassium hydroxide (KOH) rather than ammonium chloride.
- In some more modern types of so-called "high-power" batteries that have a much lower capacity than standard alkaline batteries, the ammonium chloride is replaced by zinc chloride.
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Other Rechargeable Batteries
- Different types include lead-acid, nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), lithium-ion polymer (LiPo), and rechargeable alkaline batteries.
- There are also rechargeable forms of alkaline batteries, which are a type of primary battery dependent upon the reaction between zinc (Zn) and manganese dioxide (MnO2).
- Rechargeable alkaline batteries can also have a high recharging efficiency and have less environmental impact than disposable cells.
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Buffers Containing a Base and Conjugate Acid
- An alkaline buffer can be made from a mixture of the base and its conjugate acid, but the formulas for determining pH take a different form.
- An alkaline buffer can be made from a mixture of a base and its conjugate acid, similar to the way in which weak acids and their conjugate bases can be used to make a buffer.
- Calculate the pH of an alkaline buffer system consisting of a weak base and its conjugate acid.
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The Arrhenius Definition
- The Arrhenius definitions of acidity and alkalinity are restricted to aqueous solutions and refer to the concentration of the solvated ions.
- In addition, under the Arrhenius definition, a solution of sodium amide (NaNH2) in liquid ammonia is not alkaline, despite the fact that the amide ion ($\text{NH}_2^-$) will readily deprotonate ammonia.
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Strong Bases
- Common examples of strong Arrhenius bases are the hydroxides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals such as NaOH and Ca(OH)2.
- Generally, the alkali metal bases are stronger than the alkaline earth metal bases, which are less soluble.
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Salts that Produce Acidic Solutions
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Hydroboration Reactions and Oxidations
- Further addition to the resulting boron-substituted alkene does not occur, and the usual oxidative removal of boron by alkaline hydrogen peroxide gives an enol which rapidly rearranges to the aldehyde tautomer.
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Oxidation
- All these cation oxidations must be conducted under alkaline conditions.
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Soaps & Detergents
- Solutions of alkali metal soaps are slightly alkaline (pH 8 to 9) due to hydrolysis.
- Also the sulfonate functions used for virtually all anionic detergents confer greater solubility on micelles incorporating the alkaline earth cations found in hard water.