6.3.2

Weak Acids & Ka

Test yourself

Weak Acids

Not all acids ionize dissociate in solution.

Illustrative background for Weak acidsIllustrative background for Weak acids ?? "content

Weak acids

  • Weak acids do not fully ionize in solution.
  • For a strong acid, like HCl, the equilibrium for the following equation lies very far to the right:
    • HCl + H2O ⇋ H3O+ + Cl-
  • For a weak acid (e.g. acetic acid), the equilibrium lies closer to the middle.
Illustrative background for K<sub>a</sub>Illustrative background for K<sub>a</sub> ?? "content

Ka

  • We define a new constant as Ka = [H3O+][A][HA]\frac{[H_3O^+][A^-]}{[HA]}
  • HA refers to the un-ionised acid molecule, and A- refers to the anion remainder after loss of a proton.
    • A large Ka value means that a lot of the acid ionizes in solution.
    • A small Ka value means that very little acid ionizes in solution.
Illustrative background for pK<sub>a</sub>Illustrative background for pK<sub>a</sub> ?? "content

pKa

  • Just like pH, we use pKa because Ka values vary a lot.
  • The definition of pKa is:
    • pKa = −log10(Ka)

Calculating the Concentration of Ions

We can use pKa along with pH to calculate the concentrations of varying ions in solution.

Illustrative background for Converting pK<sub>a</sub> to K<sub>a</sub>Illustrative background for Converting pK<sub>a</sub> to K<sub>a</sub> ?? "content

Converting pKa to Ka

  • The definition of pKa is:
    • pKa = -log10(Ka)
  • This can be rearranged into:
    • Ka = 10-pKa
Illustrative background for Calculating [H<sub>3</sub>O<sup>+</sup>] from K<sub>a</sub>Illustrative background for Calculating [H<sub>3</sub>O<sup>+</sup>] from K<sub>a</sub> ?? "content

Calculating [H3O+] from Ka

  • When you dissolve a weak monoprotic acid in solution, [H3O+] is always equal to [A-].
  • This means you can simplify Ka into:
    • Ka = [H3O+]2[HA]\frac{[H_3O^+]^2}{[HA]}
  • But, [HA] is the concentration of the acid added ([HA]0, minus the concentration of the ionized acid), so we can simplify further to:
    • Ka = [H3O+]2[HA]0[H3O+]\frac{[H_3O^+]^2}{[HA]_0 - [H_3O^+]}
    • If you know the values of Ka and [HA]0, you can calculate the concentration of H3O+ ions.
Illustrative background for Calculating [HA] from K<sub>a</sub> and pHIllustrative background for Calculating [HA] from K<sub>a</sub> and pH ?? "content

Calculating [HA] from Ka and pH

  • First, use the definition of pH to calculate the [H3O+].
  • Next, use [H3O+] = [A-] to simplify the equation for Ka.
  • Then, rearrange Ka to give [HA]:
    • [HA] = [H3O+]2Ka\frac{[H_3O^+]^2}{K_a}

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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