Question

What do you understand by the term 'autoprotolysis of water’? What is its significance?

Answer 1

In autoprotolysis, a proton is transferred between two identical molecules, one of which acts as a Bronsted acid, releasing a proton which is accepted by the other molecules acting as a Bronsted base.

Auto-protolysis of water is self-ionisation of water.

The auto-protolysis (self-ionization) of water takes place as follows:


$H_{2}O\left(l\right)+H_{2}O\left(l\right)\rightleftharpoons H_2{O}^{+}\left(aq\right)+O{H}^{-}\left(aq\right)$

The significance of auto-protolysis is that it shows the amphoteric nature of water i.e., water acting as acid as well as base.