Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-90.244.94.220-20141004224535/@comment-7700555-20141008223458

Yes although ions aren't protons, they are atoms or molecules in which the total number of electrions is not equal to the number of protons. They contain protons, but aren't exactly protons. I understand what you're saying though, that H+ is what provides the protons in this equation, just kind of nitpicking there.

To add on to what Guns said, the thing you are talking about is Brønsted–Lowry acid-base theory, with acids essentially being donors to bases. There are also Arrhenius acids, which is any substance that when added to water increases the concentration of H+ ions in the water. This is basically H+(aq) and hydronium flipping, or hydronium and hydroxide. Also you can define an acid like Gilbert Lewis did, where it's not about the protons, but the acceptance of electrons. Those are the definitions of acids I remember off the top of my head, just to add some more background.