Autoionization of Water
Definition
Autoionization of water is the process where two water molecules react to produce one hydronium ion (H3O+) and one hydroxide ion (OH-).
Analogy
Consider autoionization as if you're at a dance party. Two people (water molecules) decide to switch dance partners, resulting in new pairs (hydronium and hydroxide ions).
Related terms
Equilibrium: A state in a chemical reaction where the rate of forward reaction equals the rate of backward reaction.
pH: A measure of how acidic/basic water is. The range goes from 0 - 14, with 7 being neutral.
Kw: The equilibrium constant for water at a particular temperature. It's used to calculate the concentration of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions in an aqueous solution.
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