This is a list of the strong acids and strong bases. There aren’t very many, so it’s a good idea to memorize them, if you can.
Table of Strong Acids
The strong acids ionize completely in water to yield or or more protons per acid molecule.
Name | Formula | Ionization |
hydrogen iodide or hydroiodic acid | HI | H+(aq) + I–(aq) |
hydrogen bromide or hydrobromic acid | HBr | H+(aq) + Br–(aq) |
perchloric acid | HClO4 | H+(aq) + ClO4–(aq) |
hydrochloric acid | HCl | H+(aq) + Cl–(aq) |
chloric acid | HClO3 | H+(aq) + ClO3–(aq) |
sulfuric acid | H2SO4 | H+(aq) + HSO4–(aq)* |
nitric acid | HNO3 | H+(aq) + NO3–(aq) |
* HSO4– is a weak acid that contributes additional protons.
Table of Strong Bases
The strong bases ionize completely in water to yield or or more hydroxides per base molecule.
Name | Formula | Ionization |
sodium hydroxide | NaOH | Na+(aq) + OH–(aq) |
potassium hydroxide | KOH | K+(aq) + OH–(aq) |
lithium hydroxide | LiOH | Li+(aq) + OH–(aq) |
rubidium hydroxide | RbOH | Rb+(aq) + OH–(aq) |
cesium hydroxide | CsOH | Cs+(aq) + OH–(aq) |
calcium hydroxide | Ca(OH)2 | Ca2+(aq) + 2OH–(aq) |
barium hydroxide | Ba(OH)2 | Ba2+(aq) + 2OH–(aq) |
strontium hydroxide | Sr(OH)2 | Sr2+(aq) + 2OH–(aq) |
Calcium hydroxide, barium hydroxide, and strontium hydroxide are not very soluble in water.