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Why Does Water Self Ionize?

Marcus Vance • • 7 min read
Why Does Water Self Ionize?

Autoionization of water
Since acids and bases react with each other, this implies that water can react with itself! While that might sound strange, it does happen −water molecules exchange protons with one another to a very small extent. We call this process the autoionization, or self-ionization, of water.

Why Pure water is ionized?

Water, even pure water, has an amphiprotic nature. This means that a small amount of ions will form in pure water. Some molecules of H2O will act as acids, each donating a proton to a corresponding H2O molecule that acts as a base.

What is the reaction for the self-ionization of water?

The self-ionization of water can be expressed as: H2O+H2O⇌H3O++OH− H 2 O + H 2 O ⇌ H 3 O + + O H − . The equilibrium constant for the self-ionization of water is known as KW; it has a value of 1.0×10−14 1.0 × 10 − 14 .

Marcus Vance
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Marcus Vance

Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.