The breakdown of a molecule, ion, etc., into smaller molecules, ions, etc. An example of dissociation is the reversible reaction of hydrogen iodide at high temperatures
The equilibrium constant of a reversible dissociation is called the dissociation constant. The term ‘dissociation’ is also applied to ionization reactions of acids and bases in water; for example
which is often regarded as a straightforward dissociation into ions
The equilibrium constant of such a dissociation is called the acid dissociation constant or acidity constant, given by
for an acid HA (the concentration of water [H2O] can be taken as constant). Ka is a measure of the strength of the acid. Similarly, for a nitrogenous base B, the equilibrium
is also a dissociation; with the base dissociation constant, or basicity constant, given by
For a hydroxide MOH,