Protonation vs. Deprotonation

Protonationnoun

(chemistry) The addition of a proton (hydrogen ion) to an atom, molecule or ion, normally to generate a cation.

Protonation

In chemistry, protonation (or hydronation) is the addition of a proton (or hydron, or hydrogen cation), (H+) to an atom, molecule, or ion, forming a conjugate acid. (The complementary process, when a proton is removed from a Brønsted–Lowry acid, is deprotonation.) Some examples include the protonation of water by sulfuric acid: H2SO4 + H2O ⇌ H3O+ + HSO−4 the protonation of isobutene in the formation of a carbocation: (CH3)2C=CH2 + HBF4 ⇌ (CH3)3C+ + BF−4 the protonation of ammonia in the formation of ammonium chloride from ammonia and hydrogen chloride: NH3(g) + HCl(g) → NH4Cl(s)Protonation is a fundamental chemical reaction and is a step in many stoichiometric and catalytic processes.

Deprotonationnoun

(chemistry) The removal of a proton (hydrogen ion) from a molecule to form a conjugate base.

Deprotonation

Deprotonation (or dehydronation) is the removal (transfer) of a proton (or hydron, or hydrogen cation), (H+) from a Brønsted–Lowry acid in an acid–base reaction. The species formed is the conjugate base of that acid.