1Department of Chemistry, Osmania University, Hyderabad-500007, India
2Department of Chemistry, St. Ann's College for Women, Mehdipatnam Hyderabad-500028, India
World Journal of Chemical Education.
2026,
Vol. 14 No. 3, 47-50
DOI: 10.12691/wjce-14-3-2
Copyright © 2026 Science and Education PublishingCite this paper: V. Jagannadham, Sanjeev Rachuru, D. A. Padmavathi. Is Water Electron Withdrawing or Electron Donating: Acid-Base Properties of Different Water Related Species Treated by Taft Equation.
World Journal of Chemical Education. 2026; 14(3):47-50. doi: 10.12691/wjce-14-3-2.
Correspondence to: V. Jagannadham, Department of Chemistry, Osmania University, Hyderabad-500007, India. Email:
jagannadham1950@yahoo.comAbstract
Water (HOH), hydroxyl radical (HO•), hydroxide ion (HO−), hydrogen peroxide (HHO2), hydroperoxyl radical HO2• hydroperoxide anion HO2− and hydronium ion (HH2O+) are all water related species and are environmentally important. The corresponding acid -base couples are represented as HOH/OH−, HO•/O•−, HO−/O2−, HHO2/, HO2•/ O2•-, HO2−/ O22− and H3O+/H2O. Therefore, the corresponding conjugate bases are hydroxide ion OH−, mono oxygen radical anion O•−, oxide dianion O2−, hydroperoxide anion HO2−, peroxyl radical anion O2•-, peroxide dianion O22− and H2O respectively. The acid-base properties are well characterized by treating the pKa data with Taft σ* values of the corresponding conjugate bases of these couples using Taft linear free-energy relationship (LFER). Positive Taft ρ* value of 17.7 indicates that electron withdrawing species facilitate the deprotonation and vice-versa. The present study is a good class-room exercise for both undergraduate and graduate advanced physical-organic chemistry level.
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