Select starting numbers of hydroniums (H3O+) and hydroxides (OH-). Click flag. In a mix of strong acid and strong base, when hydronium ions (red) meet hydroxide (green), they each turn to water (blue). See pH change.
First draft, based on idea that strong acid and strong base react this simple way. This model doesn't apply to mixtures with either weaker acids or weaker base. We assume hydronium ions (H3O+) result when an strong acid molecule donates a proton (H+) to a water molecule. All H+ are dissociated from the acid, so we don't even show the acid. Instead we show the H+ which sticks to H20 to make H30+. Strong bases take a hydrogen from a water molecule and generate hydroxide ions (OH-), so we just show the OH- and not the base. This simplifies. We got this idea from Stieff and Wilensky (2001). NetLogo Strong Acid model. We use the color sensor to have H30+ (red) and OH- (green) turn to water. We have them pause for about a second because otherwise one of the pair will change to water before the other and then the second molecule will not change to water. A limitation of this draft is that sometimes two or more H30+ touch a OH- simultaneously (or vice versa), in which case all three turn to water. Hit spacekey to freeze. With these low numbers of molecules, pH (measure of H3O+) tends to jump around. Suggestions welcome as this is a quick first draft.
