Arrhenius Base Definition

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Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
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Updated on September 03, 2019

An Arrhenius base is a substance that when added to water increases the number of OH- ions in the water. The base dissociates in water to form hydroxide (OH-) ions. It may decrease the aqueous hydronium ion (H3O+) concentration.
Arrhenius bases follow the reaction:
base + H2O → conjugate acid + OH-

pH testing an orange
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Arrhenius Acid Definition and Examples
By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Source

  • Paik, Seoung-Hey (2015). "Understanding the Relationship Among Arrhenius, Brønsted–Lowry, and Lewis Theories." Journal of Chemical Education. 92 (9): 1484–1489. doi:10.1021/ed500891w
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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Arrhenius Base Definition." ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/definition-of-arrhenius-base-604792. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 28). Arrhenius Base Definition. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-arrhenius-base-604792 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Arrhenius Base Definition." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-arrhenius-base-604792 (accessed April 19, 2024).