Can a non-aqueous solution ever be acidic and if so where would the stray hydrogen go if there is no h2o molecule? I’m asking because I noticed battery acid and intuitively I don’t think of battery acid as being an aqueous solution. Sorry if this is a stupid question, my chemistry background is very weak.
In: Chemistry
Battery acid is aqueous. Just very concentrated but the base solvent is still water.
Non aqueous solution has other ways. For example, ammonia has ammonium ions.
For nonpolar solvents or solvents that don’t ionize, you will need to move the electrons around which is categorized as Lewis acids.
Traditional lead-acid battery acid is an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid.
Other polar liquid-phase molecules like methanol and ethanol can also support protonation reactions (on the OH alcohol group) to some degree, although you often get undesirable side products from the stray methyl/ethyl groups.
Since you’ve created a hideous liquid that is now some nasty combination of highly combustible, highly corrosive, and highly volatile this isn’t usually done in your high school chem labs, but it does have some industrial applications for metal etchants and water-sensitive processes.
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