Protic solvent

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

See also

• Autoprotolysis

References