Term: amphoteric https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.A00306 Definition: A chemical species that behaves both as an acid and as a base is called amphoteric. This property depends upon the medium in which the species is investigated: H2SO4 is an acid when studied in water, but becomes amphoteric in superacids. Related Terms: 1) chemical species (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.CT01038). 2) superacids (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.S06135). Source: PAC, 1994, 66, 1077. 'Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1994)' on page 1083 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199466051077) Citation: 'amphoteric' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.A00306 License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms. Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.