In the previous two posts, we talked about the acid-base strength and their quantitative description using Ka, pKa, Kb ,and pKb. Now, sometimes, we need to do calculations which can be made easier if we find a way to link … Read more
Strong Bases The most widely used strong bases in general chemistry are the hydroxides of alkali (group 1A) metals such as KOH (caustic or just potash), NaOH (caustic soda), and LiOH. Just like the strong acids, we recognize them by … Read more
Acids are classified as strong and weak depending on the extent of their ionization. For example, hydrochloric acid is a strong acid because it completely dissociates in aqueous solutions. HCl(aq) + H2O(l) → H3O+(aq) + Cl–(aq) or HCl(aq) → … Read more
Definition of acids and bases, identifying them along with the conjugate acid and conjugate base, pH of strong and weak acids and bases, the pH and pOH relationship, Ka and Kb, pKa and Ka correlation, the acid-base properties of salts, … Read more
The Henderson–Hasselbalch equation shows the correlation of the pKa and pH of the buffer solution. The pKa of a given acid, or the conjugate acid of the base, is constant and therefore, the only variable in the equation is the … Read more
The common ion effect is an example of the Le Châtelier’s principle when altering the equilibrium by changing the concentration of a component. Remember, adding a reactant produces more product by shifting the equilibrium to the right, and adding a product, … Read more
In the previous post, we talked about the pH of buffer solutions and the two approaches to calculating it. Let’s now discuss how to prepare a buffer with a given pH. So, we need to choose a proper acid/base pair … Read more
The Henderson–Hasselbalch equation relates the pH of a buffer solution to the initial concentration of its components. Let’s say we have a buffer containing the generic weak acid HA and its conjugate base A–. The dissociation of the acid can … Read more
There are two ways of calculating the pH of a buffer solution; the equilibrium approach and the one using the Henderson–Hasselbalch equation. The latter is shorter and is used more often. However, let’s start with the equilibrium approach so that … Read more
