Follow the Proton

One H⁺ leaves one molecule and lands on another. That single move — nothing else — is what makes an acid-base reaction, and it is what decides which species gets called the acid and which gets called the base. Not the name on the bottle. Not whether you can spot an OH in the formula. Watch where the proton goes, and every label in the equation writes itself.

8 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · BRØNSTED-LOWRY PROTON TRANSFER · v1