ABSTRACT
Most drugs in the market are small organic molecules that behave in aqueous solutions as weak acids or bases. The concentration of water in any given physiological fluid is not affected by the solutes present, since they are all very dilute conditions. Many drugs are formulated as salts, a process that involves taking the weak acid or base and reacting it with base or acid, respectively, in order to generate an ionic compound or salt. When salts are dissolved in water, the ions dissociate completely and associate with water molecules to form solvated anions and cations. The conjugate base of an acid is the species that remains when an acid loses a proton. A strong acid is one that can transfer 100% or close to 100% of its acidic hydrogen atoms to water upon dissolution. A weak acid is one that transfers only a small portion of its acidic hydrogen atoms to water upon dissolution.
