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.

A low pKa value indicates that the compound is acidic and will easily give up its proton to a base.

One of the most important ways of assessing a conjugate base's ability to distribute negative charge is using resonance.

When the compound is not particularly acidic, and, as such, the molecule does not give up its proton easily, a base stronger than the commonly known hydroxides is required.

The hydrogen is dangerous and could ignite with the oxygen in the air, so the chemical procedure should be done in an inert atmosphere (e.g., nitrogen).

Because acids with higher pKa values are less likely to donate their protons, the equilibrium will favor their formation.