Carbonic acid

Carbonic acid (H₂CO₃) is a weak acid formed when carbon dioxide reacts with water. It readily interconverts with dissolved carbon dioxide and bicarbonate.

Carbon dioxide: A colorless gas made of one carbon atom bonded to two oxygen atoms; it dissolves in water and participates in the carbon cycle. Dissolved carbon dioxide is the precursor in the reversible reaction that forms carbonic acid.
Molecular formula: A notation showing the kinds and numbers of atoms in a molecule. H₂CO₃ specifies the atoms in carbonic acid without showing their arrangement.
Ocean acidification: The decline in ocean pH caused mainly by uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Absorbed carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid and shifts seawater carbonate equilibria.
Sulfurous acid: A weak acid associated with dissolved sulfur dioxide and commonly represented by the formula H₂SO₃. Like carbonic acid, it is associated with a dissolved gas and has limited persistence in water.
Bicarbonate: The hydrogen carbonate ion, HCO₃⁻, formed when carbonic acid loses a proton. It is the main product when carbonic acid donates a proton in water.
Proton: A positively charged subatomic particle that is also the nucleus of ordinary hydrogen. Acid behavior here centers on transfer of hydrogen ions, conventionally described as protons.
Carbonate buffering in blood: The carbon dioxide–bicarbonate system that helps keep blood pH within a narrow range. Carbonic acid is an intermediate in the blood’s rapid carbon dioxide and bicarbonate conversions.
Phosphoric acid: A triprotic inorganic acid, H₃PO₄, that can donate three protons in successive steps. Its distinct, stepwise acid dissociation contrasts with carbonic acid’s gas-linked equilibria.
Carbonate: The CO₃²⁻ ion, formed when bicarbonate loses a proton or in carbonate minerals. Further deprotonation of carbonic acid produces carbonate through the bicarbonate intermediate.
Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory: A theory defining acids as proton donors and bases as proton acceptors. It explains why carbonic acid is classified as an acid when it donates protons.

Linked from 38 pages