Question

What do you get when you dissolve a base in water?

Answer 1

I know it's either hydronium, hydroxide, or hydrogen atoms, but I can't figure out which!

Answer 2

The dissolution of a strong acid in water happens readily and completely (that is, it isn't a reversible reaction the acid dissolves fully). It can be easily understood if you think about an acid by the Bronsted-Lowry definition whereby an acid is a proton (H+) donor and a base is a proton acceptor.

By this definition, water is actually both a Bronsted acid and a base; the dissolution of an acid or a base in water is therefore, in fact, an acid-base reaction.

When water reacts as a Bronsted base, the equation is as follows:
H+ + H2O ---> H3O+

The auto-ionization of water (H2O ---> H+ + OH-) causes ions to be in solution and therefore the H+ ions in the HCl are pulled away from the ionic structure.

Answer 3

When a base dissolves in water, you will get OH-

Answer 4

Yes, it is the OH- i am pretty sure, it determines on the pH level