Theoretical study on the protonation of cucurbit[7]uril

Heterocyclic amines, where the N atom is a part of an alicyclic system, are similar in basicity to alkylamines. Interestingly, the heterocyclic amine having a nitrogen atom as part of an aromatic ring has much less basicity than its corresponding alicyclic counterpart. For this reason, as presented in Figure 1, piperidine (pKb = 2.8) is significantly more basic than pyridine (pKb = 8.8).

The rate of acid-catalyzed hydration of alkenes depends on the alkene's structure, as the presence of alkyl substituents at the double bond can significantly influence the rate.

Acids are classified by the number of protons per molecule that they can give up in a reaction. Acids such as HCl, HNO3, and HCN that contain one ionizable hydrogen atom in each molecule are called monoprotic acids. Their reactions with water are:

Alkenes react with water in the presence of an acid to form an alcohol. In the absence of acid, hydration of alkenes does not occur at a significant rate, and the acid is not consumed in the reaction. Therefore, alkene hydration is an acid-catalyzed reaction.

Titration of a polyprotic acid, which contains multiple ionizable protons, involves distinct dissociation steps, each with its own dissociation constant (Ka). Each successive Ka is weaker than the previous one. In the titration of a polyprotic acid like sulfurous acid with a strong base such as sodium hydroxide, the base first neutralizes the initial ionizable proton, forming an intermediate species (e.g., hydrogen sulfite ions). This step's titration curve resembles that of a weak monoprotic...

A strong acid is a compound that dissociates completely in an aqueous solution and produces a concentration of hydronium ions equal to the initial concentration of acid. For example, 0.20 M hydrobromic acid will dissociate completely in water and produces 0.20 M of hydronium ions and 0.20 M of bromide ions.