What do you understand by the term ‘auto-protolysis’ of water? What is its significance?
What do you understand by the term ‘auto-protolysis’ of water? What is its significance?

Solution:

Auto-protolysis (self-ionization) of water is a compound response wherein 2 water atoms respond to deliver a hydroxide particle \left(\mathrm{OH}^{-}\right)and a hydronium particle \left(\mathrm{H}_{3} \mathrm{O}^{+}\right).

The response included can be addressed as:

\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{(l)}+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{(l)} \leftrightarrow \mathrm{H}_{3} \mathrm{O}_{(a q)}^{+}+\mathrm{OH}_{(a q)}^{-}

Auto-protolysis of water demonstrates its amphoteric nature i.e., its ablity to go about as a corrosive just as a base.

The corrosive base response can be composed as:

\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{(l)}+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{(\mathrm{l})} \leftrightarrow \mathrm{H}_{3} \mathrm{O}_{(\text {aq })}^{+}+\mathrm{OH}_{(a q)}^{-}