6.2.3

Using Kw

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Use of Kw

Kw can be used to calculate the concentration of hydroxide ions given the pH.

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The value of Kw

  • At room temperature (25°C), it just so happens that Kw is around 1 × 10-14.
    • As the concentration of hydroxide ions must equal the concentration of hydrogen ions for pure water, we know the concentration of both must be 1 × 10-7.
    • If the [H+] is 1 × 10-7, then the pH is 7.
    • This is why we say a neutral solution has a pH of 7.
    • A neutral solution is one with the same concentration of hydroxide ions and hydrogen ions.
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Use of Kw

  • The Kw is a constant at a specific temperature.
    • This means that at a specific temperature, we can relate the [H+] to the concentration of [OH].
  • If we know the pH of a solution, we can calculate the concentration of [OH].
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Example

  • Say we dissolve 1 mole of HCl into a liter of water:
    • The concentration of H+ ions is 1 moldm-3.
  • We can rearrange the ion product equation from:
    • Kw = 1 ×10-14 = [H3O+(aq)][OH-(aq)] → [OH-(aq)] = 1×10141molL1\frac{1 \times10^{-14}}{1 mol L^{-1}}
  • So we can calculate that [OH-(aq)] = 1 ×10-14.
    • The [OH-(aq)] is much lower in an acidic solution than in a neutral solution.
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Ka & Kb

  • We will cover acid and base dissociation constants in a subsequent section.
  • An important and useful link between Kw and these two constants is:
    • Kw = Ka x Kb

Jump to other topics

1Structure - Models of the Particulate of Matter

2Structure - Models of Bonding & Structure

3Structure - Classification of Matter

3.1The Periodic Table: Classification of Elements

3.2Periodic Trends

3.3Group 1 Alkali Metals

3.4Halogens

3.5Noble gases, group 18

3.6Functional Groups: Classification of Organic

3.7Functional Group Chemistry

3.8Alkanes

3.9Alcohols

3.10Halogenoalkanes

4Reactivity - What Drives Chemical Reaction?

5Reactivity - How Much, How Fast & How Far?

6Reactivity - The Mechanisms of Chemical Change

7Measurement, Data Processing & Analysis

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