What Does Kw Equal In Chemistry

Acid Dissociation Constant From Ph

The acid dissociation constant may be found it the pH is known. For example:

Calculate the acid dissociation constant Ka for a 0.2 M aqueous solution of propionic acid that is found to have a pH value of 4.88.

To solve the problem, first, write the chemical equation for the reaction. You should be able to recognize propionic acid is a weak acid . It’s dissociation in water is:

CH3CH2CO2H + H2 H3O++ CH3CH2CO2-

Set up a table to keep track of the initial conditions, change in conditions, and equilibrium concentration of the species. This is sometimes called an ICE table:

Acidbase Properties Of Water

Recall that because of its highly polar structure, liquid water can act as either an acid or a base . For example, when a strong acid such as HCl dissolves in water, it dissociates into chloride ions ) and protons ). The proton, in turn, reacts with a water molecule to form the hydronium ion ):

In this reaction, \ is the acid, and water acts as a base by accepting an \ ion. The reaction in Equation \ref is often written in a simpler form by removing \ from each side:

In Equation \ref, the hydronium ion is represented by \, although free \ ions do not exist in liquid water as this reaction demonstrates:

Water can also act as an acid, as shown in Equation \ref. In this equilibrium reaction, \ donates a proton to \, which acts as a base:

Water is thus termed amphiprotic, meaning that it can behave as either an acid or a base, depending on the nature of the other reactant. Notice that Equation \ is an equilibrium reaction as indicated by the double arrow and hence has an equilibrium constant associated with it.

What Is Kw Defined As

kW stands for kilowatt. A kilowatt is simply 1,000 watts, which is a measure of power. So a 1,000 watt drill needs 1,000 watts of power to make it work, and uses 1 kWh of energy in an hour. Thats why, if you leave a TV or computer on standby, it is still using power and creating a kWh cost on your energy bill.

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Writing $k: S: P$ Expressions

Below is the solubility product equation which is followed by four $K_s_p$ chemistry problems so you can see how to write out $K_s_p$ expressions.

For the reaction $A_aB_b$ $aA^b^$ + $bB^a^$

The solubility expression is $K_s_p$= $^a$ $^b$

The first equation is known as a dissociation equation, and the second is the balanced $K_s_p$ expression.

For these equations:

• A and B represent different ions and solids. In these equations, they are also referred to as “products”.
• a and b represent coefficients used to balance the equation
• and indicate which state the product is in
• Brackets stand for molar concentration. So represents the molar concentration of AgCl.

In order to write $K_s_p$ expressions correctly, you need to have a good knowledge of chemical names, polyatomic ions, and the charges associated with each ion. Also, the key thing to be aware of with these equations is that each concentration is raised to the power of its coefficient in the balanced $K_s_p$ expression.

Lets look at a few examples.

$PbBr_2$ $Pb^2^$ + $2Br^$

$K_s_p$= $$ $^2$

In this problem, dont forget to square the Br in the $K_s_p$ equation. You do this because of the coefficient 2 in the dissociation equation.

CuS $Cu^$ + S¯

$K_s_p$=

$Ag_2CrO_4$ 2$Ag^$ + $CrO_4^2^$

$K_s_p$= $^2$

$Cu_3$ $^2$ $3Cu^2^$ + $2PO_4^3^$

$K_s_p$ = $^3$ $^2$

Why Is Kw The Same In Acid Water And Alkali

Why is Kw the same in acid, water, and alkali? Given that Kw equals to , doesn’t concentration of these 2 differ in acids, water and alkali? Why is Kw only affected by temperature?

• 3$\begingroup$Concentrations differ, of course, but their product does not. That’s why it is called a constant.$\endgroup$Aug 31, 2016 at 13:42

You are correct that the concentration of $\ce$ and $\ce$ both vary based on the the composition of the solution, but the remarkable thing is that their product does not. When $\ce$ goes up, $\ce$ goes down, in the same proportion.

The reason for this is that the Kw represents the equilibrium constant of the following reaction, and any excess of $\ce$ or $\ce$ will react by LeChatelier’s principle to reestablish equilibrium:

$$\ce$$

We can write the standard equilibrium constant equation as follows

$$K_ = \frac}}$$

For aqueous solutions, the concentration of water is a fixed constant1, so we can multiply both sides by it, and fold it into the equilibrium constant2. Therefore we can write:

$$K_ = \ce$$

So just as standard equilibrium constants do not differ with the concentrations of chemical species in the solution, but can vary with temperature, so too does $K_$ not vary based on the concentration of chemical species, but does depend on the temperature of the solution.

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The Autoionization Of Water

• To understand the autoionization reaction of liquid water.
• To know the relationship among pH, pOH, and \.

As you learned previously acids and bases can be defined in several different ways ). Recall that the Arrhenius definition of an acid is a substance that dissociates in water to produce \ ions , and an Arrhenius base is a substance that dissociates in water to produce \ ions. According to this view, an acidbase reaction involves the reaction of a proton with a hydroxide ion to form water. Although Brønsted and Lowry defined an acid similarly to Arrhenius by describing an acid as any substance that can donate a proton, the BrønstedLowry definition of a base is much more general than the Arrhenius definition. In BrønstedLowry terms, a base is any substance that can accept a proton, so a base is not limited to just a hydroxide ion. This means that for every BrønstedLowry acid, there exists a corresponding conjugate base with one fewer proton. Consequently, all BrønstedLowry acidbase reactions actually involve two conjugate acidbase pairs and the transfer of a proton from one substance to another . In contrast, the Lewis definition of acids and bases, focuses on accepting or donating pairs of electrons rather than protons. A Lewis base is an electron-pair donor, and a Lewis acid is an electron-pair acceptor.

Acidic Basic And Neutral Solution

In pure water the concentration of hydronium ion and hydroxide ion are same and equal to 10-7 M at 250 C. This types of solution is known as neutral solution. But depending on the difference between their concentration, the solution is named as acidic or basic. Such as

• If = , it is a neutral solution.
• If > , it is an acidic solution.
• If < , it is a basic solution.

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What Is The Relationship Between Kw Ka And Kb

Ka, Kb and Kw are related in a simple equation: Ka multiplied by Kb equals Kw. This equation can be used to determine any of the variables if the other two variables are known.

Ka, or the acid dissociation constant, is an equilibrium constant for the dissociation of acids. Strong acids completely dissociate in water, while weak acids only partially dissociate. The Ka of an acid shows the strength or weakness of an acid. Strong acids have large Ka values because they completely dissociate in water, and weak acids have small Ka values. Kb, or the base dissociation constant, is the equilibrium expression for bases. In water strong and weak bases both establish an equilibrium value. This value is denoted by the Kb value. Kw is the water dissociation constant and is defined as the dissociation and ionization of water. Kw is always 1.0 x 10^-14 when the water is at 25 degrees Celsius. The relationship between Kw, Kb and Ka allows chemistry students to determine the relative strength of an acid or a base by comparing it to the Kw value. For example, if the Ka value of an acid is known, then the Kb value of the acids conjugate base can be found by plugging in the Ka and Kw values into the previously mentioned equation.

Does The Value Of Kw Remain Constant When The Solution Becomes Acidic Or Basic Due To Hydrolysis Of Salt

When few drops of acid or is added to water Kw remains constant does the same happens in case hydrolysis of salts. I want to understand the topic completely and to know about the concepts in detail

Kw represents the dissociation of water at normal condition and at 25ºC. This value is constant and is not affected whether the solution is acidic or basic. Its value is equal to 10-14. Maybe you are talking about Ka and Kb. These values represent the acid and base dissociation constants respectively which means how a certain acid is dissociated under specific conditions.

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How Are Ph And Poh Related To Kw

We use Kw to find the pH and pOH because Kw has a set value of 1.0 x 10^-14 which can be plugged into this equation to find the values of pH and pOH. In addition, -logKw = 14 which is then just plugged into the equation and used to determine either pH or pOH depending on which concentration you have found.

To Predict If A Precipitate Will Form In Reactions

When we know the $K_s_p$ value of a solute, we can figure out if a precipitate will occur if a solution of its ions is mixed. Below are the two rules that determine the formation of a precipitate.

• Ionic product > $K_s_p$ then precipitation will occur
• Ionic product < $K_s_p$ then precipitation will not occur

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Ksp Chemistry: Complete Guide To The Solubility Constant

Are you learning chemistry but dont quite understand the solubility product constant or want to learn more about it? Not sure how to calculate molar solubility from $K_s_p$? The solubility constant, or $K_s_p$, is an important part of chemistry, particularly when youre working with solubility equations or analyzing the solubility of different solutes. When you have a solid grasp of $K_s_p$, those questions become much easier to answer!

In this $K_s_p$ chemistry guide, well explain the $K_s_p$ chemistry definition, how to solve for it , which factors affect it, and why its important. At the bottom of this guide, we also have a table with the $K_s_p$ values for a long list of substances to make it easy for you to find solubility constant values.

The Relationship Among Ph Poh And \

The pH scale is a concise way of describing the \ concentration and hence the acidity or basicity of a solution. Recall that pH and the \ ) concentration are related as follows:

\ \label\]

\=10^ \label\]

Because the scale is logarithmic, a pH difference of 1 between two solutions corresponds to a difference of a factor of 10 in their hydronium ion concentrations. Recall also that the pH of a neutral solution is 7.00 ), whereas acidic solutions have pH < 7.00 ) and basic solutions have pH > 7.00 ).

Similar notation systems are used to describe many other chemical quantities that contain a large negative exponent. For example, chemists use an analogous pOH scale to describe the hydroxide ion concentration of a solution. The pOH and \ are related as follows:

\ \label\]

\=10^ \label\]

The constant \ can also be expressed using this notation, where \.

Because a neutral solution has \, the pOH of a neutral solution is 7.00. Consequently, the sum of the pH and the pOH for a neutral solution at 25 °C is 7.00 + 7.00 = 14.00. We can show that the sum of pH and pOH is equal to 14.00 for any aqueous solution at 25 °C by taking the negative logarithm of both sides of Equation \ref:

\ & =\log \\ & = +\\ & = pH+pOH \label \end\]

For any neutral solution, pH + pOH = 14.00 with pH=pOH=7.

Example \

The Kw for water at 100 °C is \. Calculate \ for water at this temperature and the pH and the pOH for a neutral aqueous solution at 100 °C. Report pH and pOH values to two decimal places.

Given: \

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To Find The Solubility Of Solutes

Wondering how to calculate molar solubility from $K_s_p$? Knowing the value of $K_s_p$ allows you to find the solubility of different solutes. Heres an example: The $K_s_p$ value of $Ag_2SO_4$ ,silver sulfate, is 1.4×$10^^5$. Determine the molar solubility.

First, we need to write out the dissociation equation: $K_s_p$=$ ^2$ $$

Next, we plug in the $K_s_p$ value to create an algebraic expression.

1.4×$10^^5$= $^2$ $$

1.4×$10^^5$= $4x^3$

$x$==1.5x$10^^2$ M

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Equilibrium Constant Kp Definition

When a reaction is at equilibrium, the forward and reverse reaction rate are same. The concentration of the reactants and products stay constant at equilibrium, even though the forward and backward reactions are still occurring.

When one or more of the reactants or products are gas in any equilibrium reaction, the equilibrium constant can be expressed in terms of partial pressure. Equilibrium constant expression in terms of partial pressure is designated as Kp.

Equilibrium constant Kp is equal to the partial pressure of products divided by partial pressure of reactants and the partial pressure are raised with some power which is equal to the coefficient of the substance in balanced equation.

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To Understand The Common Ion Effect

$K_s_p$ also is an important part of the common ion effect. The common ion effect states that when two solutions that share a common ion are mixed, the solute with the smaller $K_s_p$ value will precipitate first.

For example, say BiOCl and CuCl are added to a solution. Both contain $Cl^$ ions. BiOCls $K_s_p$ value is 1.8×$10^^31$ and CuCls $K_s_p$ value is 1.2×$10^^6$. BiOCl has the smaller $K_s_p$ value, so it will precipitate before CuCl.

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What Does Kw Mean In Chemistry

Water contains both acidic and basic molecules. Because acids and bases will always react when put together, it simply means that water will react with itself! This sounds very strange. But in reality, it actually happens. The water molecules exchange protons in a process referred to as autoionization of water. This process can be expressed in the following equation below:

H2O+H2OH3O++OH

In the above equation, one water molecule can be seen donating a proton and, therefore, acts as a Bronsted-Lowry acid. Then, another molecule accepts the molecule and, therefore, acts as a Bronsted-Lowry base. After the reaction, two molecules are formed, Hydronium ions and hydroxide ions. This reaction takes place all the time in any quantity of water.

If you have a sample of pure water, it means that the concentration of Hydronium ions and hydroxide ions is equal. Here is a demonstration in an equation .

In pure water: =

It is important to note that the process demonstrated in the equation above is easily reversible because water is a weak base and a weak acid. To establish the concentrations, it is important to look at the next concept of the autoionization constant.

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Introduction To The Water Ionization Constant Kw

Pure water undergoes auto-ionization or self-ionization by donating or accepting a proton between two molecules of water to form H3O+ and OH ions. This is also known as autoprotolysis or amphoteric nature of water.

The hydronium ion is a very strong acid and hydroxide ion is a very strong base. Thus they can associate again to form water molecule. So water molecules and the ions always stay in equilibrium. And the equilibrium lies to the left. Thus a very small amount of hydronium ions and hydroxide ions are found in water.

The equilibrium constant for this autoionisation of water is known as Kw. Thus

Kw =

Or simply Kw = .

Here we omit the concentration of water molecule which should stay as a denominator. The reason is, not much change in concentration is observed during this process.

How Do We Find The Ph Of Bases

In pH, we explored how we can use to find the concentration of hydrogen ions in solution, and thus the solutions pH. Well recap that now before exploring an alternative method using .

Calculate the pH of a solution of potassium hydroxide, , at 25.

Potassium hydroxide is a strong base and so dissociates fully in solution. This means that the concentration of hydroxide ions is also .

In pH, we used the water dissociation constant to calculate pH. In aqueous solution, . At this temperature, its value is . , which we can then use in our equation for pH:

However, we can also use an alternative method based on a relationship between pH, pOH and :

If we rearrange this, we get the following equation:

Similar to pH, pOH is a measure of hydroxide ion concentration in solution. We calculate it in the same way, taking the negative log of the hydroxide ion concentration. Lets give it a go using the example above to see if we get the same answer:

We can now put this into the equation relating pH, pOH and pKw. First we need to find pKw:

This is the same answer as the one that we got before.

Both methods used to find pH work equally well. Find out which one your exam board wants you to know and practice using that one.

The following flow charts summarise how you find the pH of water and strong bases:

Finding the pH of water and strong bases. Anna Brewer, StudySmarter Originals

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