Protic solvent
Solvent containing an H+ ion
In chemistry, a protic solvent is a solvent that has a hydrogen atom bound to an oxygen (as in a hydroxyl group −OH), a nitrogen (as in an amine group −NH2 or −NH−), or fluoride (as in hydrogen fluoride). In general terms, any solvent that contains a labile H+ is called a protic solvent. The molecules of such solvents readily donate protons (H+) to solutes, often via hydrogen bonding. Water is the most common protic solvent. Conversely, polar aprotic solvents cannot donate protons but still have the ability to dissolve many salts.
Methods for purification of common solvents are available.
| Solvent | Chemical formula | Boiling point | Dielectric constant | Density | Dipole moment (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polar protic solvents | |||||
| formic acid | HCO2H | 101 °C | 58 | 1.21 g/mL | 1.41 D |
| n-butanol | CH3CH2CH2CH2OH | 118 °C | 18 | 0.810 g/mL | 1.63 D |
| isopropanol (IPA) | (CH3)2CH(OH) | 82 °C | 18 | 0.785 g/mL | 1.66 D |
| nitromethane | CH3NO2 | 101°C | 35.87 | 1.1371 g/mL | 3.56 D |
| ethanol (EtOH) | CH3CH2OH | 79 °C | 24.55 | 0.789 g/mL | 1.69 D |
| methanol (MeOH) | CH3OH | 65 °C | 33 | 0.791 g/mL | 1.70 D |
| Acetic acid (AcOH) | CH3CO2H | 118 °C | 6.2 | 1.049 g/mL | 1.74 D |
| Water | H2O | 100 °C | 80 | 1.000 g/mL | 1.85 D |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Protic solvent”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.