QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS 635

ionized acid concentration at equilibrium

• percent ionization    100% (15.6)
initial concentration of acid
• KaKb  Kw (15.7) Relationship between the acid and base ionization con-
stants of a conjugate acid-base pair.

SUMMARY OF FACTS 1. Brønsted acids donate protons, and Brønsted bases accept protons. These are the defini-
AND CONCEPTS tions that normally underlie the use of the terms “acid” and “base.”
2. The acidity of an aqueous solution is expressed as its pH, which is defined as the nega-
tive logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration (in mol/L).
3. At 25°C, an acidic solution has pH  7, a basic solution has pH  7, and a neutral solu-
tion has pH  7.
4. In aqueous solution, the following are classified as strong acids: HClO4, HI, HBr, HCl,
H2SO4 (first stage of ionization), and HNO3. Strong bases in aqueous solution include hy-
droxides of alkali metals and of alkaline earth metals (except beryllium).
5. The acid ionization constant Ka increases with acid strength. Kb similarly expresses the
strengths of bases.
6. Percent ionization is another measure of the strength of acids. The more dilute a solution
of a weak acid, the greater the percent ionization of the acid.
7. The product of the ionization constant of an acid and the ionization constant of its conju-
gate base is equal to the ion-product constant of water.
8. The relative strengths of acids can be explained qualitatively in terms of their molecular
structures.
9. Most salts are strong electrolytes that dissociate completely into ions in solution. The re-
action of these ions with water, called salt hydrolysis, can produce acidic or basic solu-
tions. In salt hydrolysis, the conjugate bases of weak acids yield basic solutions, and the
conjugate acids of weak bases yield acidic solutions.
10. Small, highly charged metal ions, such as Al3 and Fe3, hydrolyze to yield acidic solu-
tions.
11. Most oxides can be classified as acidic, basic, or amphoteric. Metal hydroxides are either
basic or amphoteric.
12. Lewis acids accept pairs of electrons and Lewis bases donate pairs of electrons. The term
“Lewis acid” is generally reserved for substances that can accept electron pairs but do not
contain ionizable hydrogen atoms.

KEY WORDS
Acid ionization constant (Ka), Conjugate acid-base pair, Lewis base, p. 631 Strong acid, p. 603
p. 607 p. 598 Percent ionization, p. 612 Strong base, p. 603
Base ionization constant (Kb), Ion-product constant, p. 600 pH, p. 601 Weak acid, p. 603
p. 613 Lewis acid, p. 631 Salt hydrolysis, p. 622 Weak base, p. 604

QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS†

BRØNSTED ACIDS AND BASES atom in the species must possess a lone pair of elec-
Review Questions trons. Explain why this is so.
15.1 Define Brønsted acids and bases. Give an example Problems
of a conjugate pair in an acid-base reaction. 15.3 Classify each of the following species as a Brønsted
15.2 In order for a species to act as a Brønsted base, an acid or base, or both: (a) H2O, (b) OH, (c) H3O,
(d) NH3, (e) NH   2
4 , (f) NH2 , (g) NO3 , (h) CO3 ,
†
Unless otherwise stated, the temperature is assumed to be 25°C. (i) HBr, (j) HCN.

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 636 ACIDS AND BASES

15.4 Write the formulas of the conjugate bases of the fol- Can the pH of a solution be zero or negative? If so,
lowing acids: (a) HNO2, (b) H2SO4, (c) H2S, give examples to illustrate these values.
(d) HCN, (e) HCOOH (formic acid). 15.14 Define pOH. Write the equation relating pH and
15.5 Identify the acid-base conjugate pairs in each of the pOH.
following reactions:
(a) CH3COO  HCN 3:4 CH3COOH  CN
(b) HCO 
3  HCO3 3:4 H2CO3  CO3
2 Problems
(c) H2PO 4  NH 3 3:4 HPO 2
4  NH 
4 15.15 Calculate the concentration of OH ions in a 1.4 
(d) HClO  CH3NH2 3:4 CH3NH 3  ClO

103 M HCl solution.
 
(e) CO3  H2O 3:4 HCO3  OH
2
15.16 Calculate the concentration of H ions in a 0.62 M
15.6 Write the formula for the conjugate acid of each of NaOH solution.
the following bases: (a) HS, (b) HCO 2
3 , (c) CO3 , 15.17 Calculate the pH of each of the following solutions:
 2 3 
(d) H2PO4 , (e) HPO4 , (f) PO4 , (g) HSO4 , (h) (a) 0.0010 M HCl, (b) 0.76 M KOH.
SO2 2
4 , (i) SO3 . 15.18 Calculate the pH of each of the following solutions:
15.7 Oxalic acid (C2H2O4) has the following structure: (a) 2.8  104 M Ba(OH)2, (b) 5.2  104 M
HNO3.
OPCOOH 15.19 Calculate the hydrogen ion concentration in mol/L
A
OPCOOH for solutions with the following pH values: (a) 2.42,
(b) 11.21, (c) 6.96, (d) 15.00.
An oxalic acid solution contains the following 15.20 Calculate the hydrogen ion concentration in mol/L
species in varying concentrations: C2H2O4, C2HO 4, for each of the following solutions: (a) a solution

C2O24 , and H . (a) Draw Lewis structures of whose pH is 5.20, (b) a solution whose pH is 16.00,
C2HO 2
4 and C2O4 . (b) Which of the above four (c) a solution whose hydroxide concentration is
species can act only as acids, which can act only as 3.7  109 M.
bases, and which can act as both acids and bases? 15.21 Complete the following table for a solution:
15.8 Write the formula for the conjugate base of each of
the following acids: (a) CH2ClCOOH, (b) HIO4, pH [H] SOLUTION IS
(c) H3PO4, (d) H2PO 2
4 , (e) HPO4 , (f) H2SO4, 7
(g) HSO4 , (h) HIO3, (i) HSO3 , (j) NH
 
4 , (k) H2S, 1.0  107 M
(l) HS, (m) HClO. Neutral

THE ACID-BASE PROPERTIES OF WATER
Review Questions
15.9 What is the ion-product constant for water?
15.10 Write an equation relating [H] and [OH] in so-
lution at 25°C.
15.11 The ion-product constant for water is 1.0  1014
at 25°C and 3.8  1014 at 40°C. Is the forward
process
H2O(l) 3:4 H(aq)  OH(aq)
endothermic or exothermic?
pH — A MEASURE OF ACIDITY
Review Questions
15.12 Define pH. Why do chemists normally choose to
discuss the acidity of a solution in terms of pH rather
than hydrogen ion concentration, [H]?
15.13 The pH of a solution is 6.7. From this statement
alone, can you conclude that the solution is acidic?
If not, what additional information would you need?
15.22 Fill in the word acidic, basic, or neutral for the fol-
lowing solutions:
(a) pOH  7; solution is
(b) pOH  7; solution is
(c) pOH  7; solution is
15.23 The pOH of a solution is 9.40. Calculate the hy-
drogen ion concentration of the solution.
15.24 Calculate the number of moles of KOH in 5.50 mL
of a 0.360 M KOH solution. What is the pOH of the
solution?
15.25 How much NaOH (in grams) is needed to prepare
546 mL of solution with a pH of 10.00?
15.26 A solution is made by dissolving 18.4 g of HCl in
662 mL of water. Calculate the pH of the solution.
(Assume that the volume remains constant.)
STRENGTH OF ACIDS AND BASES
Review Questions
15.27 Explain what is meant by the strength of an acid.
15.28 Without referring to the text, write the formulas of
four strong acids and four weak acids.

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 QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS 637

15.29 What are the strongest acid and strongest base that 15.42 A 0.0560-g quantity of acetic acid is dissolved in
can exist in water? enough water to make 50.0 mL of solution. Calculate
15.30 H2SO4 is a strong acid, but HSO 4 is a weak acid. the concentrations of H, CH3COO, and CH3COOH
Account for the difference in strength of these two at equilibrium. (Ka for acetic acid  1.8  105.)
related species. 15.43 The pH of an acid solution is 6.20. Calculate the Ka
for the acid. The acid concentration is 0.010 M.
15.44 What is the original molarity of a solution of formic
Problems acid (HCOOH) whose pH is 3.26 at equilibrium?
15.31 Classify each of the following species as a weak or 15.45 Calculate the percent ionization of benzoic acid at the
strong acid: (a) HNO3, (b) HF, (c) H2SO4, following concentrations: (a) 0.20 M, (b) 0.00020 M.
(d) HSO 
4 , (e) H2CO3, (f) HCO3 , (g) HCl, (h) HCN, 15.46 Calculate the percent ionization of hydrofluoric acid
(i) HNO2. at the following concentrations: (a) 0.60 M, (b)
15.32 Classify each of the following species as a weak or 0.0046 M, (c) 0.00028 M. Comment on the trends.
strong base: (a) LiOH, (b) CN, (c) H2O, (d) ClO 4, 15.47 A 0.040 M solution of a monoprotic acid is 14 per-
(e) NH2. cent ionized. Calculate the ionization constant of the
15.33 Which of the following statements is/are true for a acid.
0.10 M solution of a weak acid HA? 15.48 (a) Calculate the percent ionization of a 0.20 M so-
(a) The pH is 1.00. lution of the monoprotic acetylsalicylic acid (as-
(b) [H]
[A] pirin) for which Ka  3.0  104. (b) The pH of
(c) [H]  [A] gastric juice in the stomach of a certain individual
(d) The pH is less than 1. is 1.00. After a few aspirin tablets have been swal-
15.34 Which of the following statements is/are true re- lowed, the concentration of acetylsalicylic acid in
garding a 1.0 M solution of a strong acid HA? the stomach is 0.20 M. Calculate the percent ion-
(a) [A]  [H] ization of the acid under these conditions. What ef-
(b) The pH is 0.00. fect does the nonionized acid have on the mem-
(c) [H]  1.0 M branes lining the stomach? (Hint: See the Chemistry
(d) [HA]  1.0 M in Action essay on p. 633.)
15.35 Predict the direction that predominates in this reac-
tion: WEAK BASES AND BASE IONIZATION CONSTANTS
F(aq)  H2O(l) 3:4 HF(aq)  OH(aq) Review Questions

15.36 Predict whether the following reaction will proceed 15.49 Use NH3 to illustrate what we mean by the strength
from left to right to any measurable extent: of a base.
15.50 Which of the following has a higher pH? (a) 0.20
CH3COOH(aq)  Cl(aq) 88n M NH3, (b) 0.20 M NaOH

Problems
WEAK ACIDS AND ACID IONIZATION CONSTANTS
15.51 Calculate the pH for each of the following solutions:
Review Questions
(a) 0.10 M NH3, (b) 0.050 M C5H5N (pyridine).
15.37 What does the ionization constant tell us about the 15.52 The pH of a 0.30 M solution of a weak base is 10.66.
strength of an acid? What is the Kb of the base?
15.38 List the factors on which the Ka of a weak acid de- 15.53 What is the original molarity of a solution of am-
pends. monia whose pH is 11.22?
15.39 Why do we normally not quote Ka values for strong 15.54 In a 0.080 M NH3 solution, what percent of the NH3
acids such as HCl and HNO3? Why is it necessary is present as NH4?
to specify temperature when giving Ka values?
15.40 Which of the following solutions has the highest
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE IONIZATION
pH? (a) 0.40 M HCOOH, (b) 0.40 M HClO4,
CONSTANTS OF ACIDS AND THEIR CONJUGATE BASES
(c) 0.40 M CH3COOH.
Review Questions
15.55 Write the equation relating Ka for a weak acid and
Problems Kb for its conjugate base. Use NH3 and its conju-
15.41 The Ka for benzoic acid is 6.5  105. Calculate the gate acid NH4 to derive the relationship between Ka
pH of a 0.10 M benzoic acid solution. and Kb.

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 638 ACIDS AND BASES
15.56 From the relationship KaKb  Kw, what can you de-
duce about the relative strengths of a weak acid and
its conjugate base.
DIPROTIC AND POLYPROTIC ACIDS
Review Questions
15.57 Carbonic acid is a diprotic acid. Explain what that
means.
15.58 Write all the species (except water) that are present
in a phosphoric acid solution. Indicate which species
can act as a Brønsted acid, which as a Brønsted base,
and which as both a Brønsted acid and a Brønsted
base.
Problems
15.59 The first and second ionization constants of a dipro-
tic acid H2A are Ka1 and Ka2 at a certain tempera-
ture. Under what conditions will [A2]  Ka2?
15.60 Compare the pH of a 0.040 M HCl solution with
that of a 0.040 M H2SO4 solution.
15.61 What are the concentrations of HSO 2
4 , SO4 , and

H in a 0.20 M KHSO4 solution? (Hint: H2SO4 is
a strong acid; Ka for HSO 2
4  1.3  10 .)
15.62 Calculate the concentrations of H , HCO

3 , and
CO23 in a 0.025 M H2CO3 solution.
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE AND THE STRENGTH OF ACIDS
Review Questions
15.63 List four factors that affect the strength of an acid.
15.64 How does the strength of an oxoacid depend on the
electronegativity and oxidation number of the cen-
tral atom?
Problems
15.65 Predict the acid strengths of the following com-
pounds: H2O, H2S, and H2Se.
15.66 Compare the strengths of the following pairs of acids:
(a) H2SO4 and H2SeO4, (b) H3PO4 and H3AsO4.
15.67 Which of the following acids is the stronger:
CH3COOH or CH2ClCOOH? Explain your choice.
(Hint: Chlorine is more electronegative than hydro-
gen. How would its presence affect the ionization
of the carboxyl group?)
15.68 Consider the following compounds:
OOH CH3 OOOH
phenol methanol
Experimentally, phenol is found to be a stronger acid
than methanol. Explain this difference in terms of
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the structures of the conjugate bases. (Hint: A more
stable conjugate base favors ionization. Only one of
the conjugate bases can be stabilized by resonance.)
ACID-BASE PROPERTIES OF SALT SOLUTIONS
Review Questions
15.69 Define salt hydrolysis. Categorize salts according to
how they affect the pH of a solution.
15.70 Explain why small, highly charged metal ions are
able to undergo hydrolysis.
15.71 Al3 is not a Brønsted acid but Al(H2O)3 6 is.
Explain.
15.72 Specify which of the following salts will undergo
hydrolysis: KF, NaNO3, NH4NO2, MgSO4, KCN,
C6H5COONa, RbI, Na2CO3, CaCl2, HCOOK.
15.73 Predict the pH (7, 7, or 7) of aqueous solu-
tions containing the following salts: (a) KBr,
(b) Al(NO3)3, (c) BaCl2, (d) Bi(NO3)3.
15.74 Which ion of the alkaline earth metals is most likely
to undergo hydrolysis?
Problems
15.75 A certain salt, MX (containing the M and X ions),
is dissolved in water, and the pH of the resulting so-
lution is 7.0. Can you say anything about the
strengths of the acid and the base from which the
salt is derived?
15.76 In a certain experiment a student finds that the pHs
of 0.10 M solutions of three potassium salts KX,
KY, and KZ are 7.0, 9.0, and 11.0, respectively.
Arrange the acids HX, HY, and HZ in the order of
increasing acid strength.
15.77 Calculate the pH of a 0.36 M CH3COONa solution.
15.78 Calculate the pH of a 0.42 M NH4Cl solution.
15.79 Predict the pH (7, 7, ≈ 7) of a NaHCO3 solu-
tion.
15.80 Predict whether a solution containing the salt
K2HPO4 will be acidic, neutral, or basic.
ACIDIC AND BASIC OXIDES AND HYDROXIDES
Review Questions
15.81 Classify the following oxides as acidic, basic, am-
photeric, or neutral: (a) CO2, (b) K2O, (c) CaO,
(d) N2O5, (e) CO, (f) NO, (g) SnO2, (h) SO3,
(i) Al2O3, (j) BaO.
15.82 Write equations for the reactions between (a) CO2
and NaOH(aq), (b) Na2O and HNO3(aq).
Problems
15.83 Explain why metal oxides tend to be basic if the ox-
idation number of the metal is low and acidic if the
oxidation number of the metal is high. (Hint:
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Metallic compounds in which the low oxidation
numbers of the metals are low are more ionic than
those in which the oxidation numbers of the metals
are high.)
15.84 Arrange the oxides in each of the following groups
in order of increasing basicity: (a) K2O, Al2O3, BaO,
(b) CrO3, CrO, Cr2O3.
15.85 Zn(OH)2 is an amphoteric hydroxide. Write bal-
anced ionic equations to show its reaction with
(a) HCl, (b) NaOH [the product is Zn(OH)24].
15.86 Al(OH)3 is an insoluble compound. It dissolves in
excess NaOH in solution. Write a balanced ionic
equation for this reaction. What type of reaction is
this?
LEWIS ACIDS AND BASES
Review Questions
15.87 What are the Lewis definitions of an acid and a
base? In what way are they more general than the
Brønsted definitions?
15.88 In terms of orbitals and electron arrangements, what
must be present for a molecule or an ion to act as a
Lewis acid (use H and BF3 as examples)? What
must be present for a molecule or ion to act as a
Lewis base (use OH and NH3 as examples)?
Problems
15.89 Classify each of the following species as a Lewis
acid or a Lewis base: (a) CO2, (b) H2O, (c) I,
(d) SO2, (e) NH3, (f) OH, (g) H, (h) BCl3.
15.90 Describe the following reaction in terms of the
Lewis theory of acids and bases:
AlCl3(s)  Cl(aq) 88n AlCl
4 (aq)
15.91 Which would be considered a stronger Lewis acid:
(a) BF3 or BCl3, (b) Fe2 or Fe3? Explain.
15.92 All Brønsted acids are Lewis acids, but the reverse
is not true. Give two examples of Lewis acids that
are not Brønsted acids.
ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS
15.93 The Ka of formic acid is 1.7  104 at 25°C. Will
the acid become stronger or weaker at 40°C?
Explain.
15.94 A typical reaction between an antacid and the hy-
drochloric acid in gastric juice is
NaHCO3(s)  HCl(aq) 3:4
NaCl(aq)  H2O(l)  CO2(g)
Calculate the volume (in L) of CO2 generated from
0.350 g of NaHCO3 and excess gastric juice at 1.00
atm and 37.0°C.
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QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS 639
15.95 To which of the following would the addition of an
equal volume of 0.60 M NaOH lead to a solution
having a lower pH? (a) water, (b) 0.30 M HCl,
(c) 0.70 M KOH, (d) 0.40 M NaNO3
15.96 The pH of a 0.0642 M solution of a monoprotic acid
is 3.86. Is this a strong acid?
15.97 Like water, liquid ammonia undergoes autoioniza-
tion:
NH3  NH3 3:4 NH 
4  NH2
(a) Identify the Brønsted acids and Brønsted bases
in this reaction. (b) What species correspond to H
and OH and what is the condition for a neutral so-
lution?
15.98 HA and HB are both weak acids although HB is the
stronger of the two. Will it take a larger volume of
a 0.10 M NaOH solution to neutralize 50.0 mL of
0.10 M HB than would be needed to neutralize 50.0
mL of 0.10 M HA?
15.99 A solution contains a weak monoprotic acid HA and
its sodium salt NaA both at 0.1 M concentration.
Show that [OH]  Kw/Ka.
15.100 The three common chromium oxides are CrO,
Cr2O3, and CrO3. If Cr2O3 is amphoteric, what can
you say about the acid-base properties of CrO and
CrO3?
15.101 Use the data in Table 15.3 to calculate the equilib-
rium constant for the following reaction:
HCOOH(aq)  OH(aq) 3:4
HCOO(aq)  H2O(l)
15.102 Use the data in Table 15.3 to calculate the equilib-
rium constant for the following reaction:
CH3COOH(aq)  NO
2 (aq) 3:4
CH3COO(aq)  HNO2(aq)
15.103 Most of the hydrides of Group 1A and Group 2A
metals are ionic (the exceptions are BeH2 and MgH2,
which are covalent compounds). (a) Describe the re-
action between the hydride ion (H) and water in
terms of a Brønsted acid-base reaction. (b) The same
reaction can also be classified as a redox reaction.
Identify the oxidizing and reducing agents.
15.104 Calculate the pH of a 0.20 M ammonium acetate
(CH3COONH4) solution.
15.105 Novocaine, used as a local anesthetic by dentists, is
a weak base (Kb  8.91  106). What is the ratio
of the concentration of the base to that of its acid in
the blood plasma (pH  7.40) of a patient?
15.106 Which of the following is the stronger base: NF3 or
NH3? (Hint: F is more electronegative than H.)
15.107 Which of the following is a stronger base: NH3 or
PH3? (Hint: The NOH bond is stronger than the
POH bond.)
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 640 ACIDS AND BASES
15.108 The ion product of D2O is 1.35  1015 at 25°C.
(a) Calculate pD where pD  log [D]. (b) For
what values of pD will a solution be acidic in D2O?
(c) Derive a relation between pD and pOD.
15.109 Give an example of (a) a weak acid that contains
oxygen atoms, (b) a weak acid that does not contain
oxygen atoms, (c) a neutral molecule that acts as a
Lewis acid, (d) a neutral molecule that acts as a
Lewis base, (e) a weak acid that contains two ion-
izable H atoms, (f) a conjugate acid-base pair, both
of which react with HCl to give carbon dioxide gas.
) of the dimer under these conditions:
15.110 What is the pH of 250.0 mL of an aqueous solution
containing 0.616 g of the strong acid trifluoro-
methane sulfonic acid (CF3SO3H)?
15.111 (a) Use VSEPR to predict the geometry of the hy-
dronium ion, H3O. (b) The O atom in H2O has two
lone pairs and in principle can accept two H ions.
Explain why the species H4O2 does not exist. What
would be its geometry if it did exist?
15.112 HF is a weak acid, but its strength increases with
concentration. Explain. (Hint: F reacts with HF to
form HF 2 . The equilibrium constant for this reac-
tion is 5.2 at 25°C.)
15.113 When chlorine reacts with water, the resulting solu-
tion is weakly acidic and reacts with AgNO3 to give
a white precipitate. Write balanced equations to rep-
resent these reactions. Explain why manufacturers of
household bleaches add bases such as NaOH to their
products to increase their effectiveness.
15.114 When the concentration of a strong acid is not sub-
stantially higher than 1.0  107 M, the ionization
of water must be taken into account in the calcula-
tion of the solution’s pH. (a) Derive an expression
for the pH of a strong acid solution, including the
contribution to [H] from H2O. (b) Calculate the pH
of a 1.0  107 M HCl solution.
15.115 Hemoglobin (Hb) is a blood protein that is respon-
sible for transporting oxygen. It can exist in the pro-
tonated form as HbH. The binding of oxygen can
be represented by the simplified equation

HbH  O2 3:4 HbO2  H  ous solution of strong acid (HA) and the other an
(a) What form of hemoglobin is favored in the lungs
where oxygen concentration is highest? (b) In body
tissues, where the cells release carbon dioxide pro-
duced by metabolism, the blood is more acidic due
to the formation of carbonic acid. What form of he-
moglobin is favored under this condition? (c) When
a person hyperventilates, the concentration of CO2
in his or her blood decreases. How does this action
affect the above equilibrium? Frequently a person
who is hyperventilating is advised to breathe into a
paper bag. Why does this action help the individual?
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15.116 Calculate the concentrations of all species in a 0.100
M H3PO4 solution.
15.117 In the vapor phase, acetic acid molecules associate
to a certain extent to form dimers:
2CH3COOH(g) 3:4 (CH3COOH)2(g)
At 51°C the pressure of a certain acetic acid vapor
system is 0.0342 atm in a 360-mL flask. The vapor
is condensed and neutralized with 13.8 mL of 0.0568
M NaOH. (a) Calculate the degree of dissociation
(
(CH3COOH)2 3:4 2CH3COOH
(Hint: See Problem 14.73 for general procedure.)
(b) Calculate the equilibrium constant KP for the re-
action in (a).
15.118 Calculate the concentrations of all the species in a
0.100 M Na2CO3 solution.
15.119 Henry’s law constant for CO2 at 38°C is 2.28 
103 mol/L  atm. Calculate the pH of a solution of
CO2 at 38°C in equilibrium with the gas at a partial
pressure of 3.20 atm.
15.120 Hydrocyanic acid (HCN) is a weak acid and a deadly
poisonous compound — in the gaseous form (hy-
drogen cyanide) it is used in gas chambers. Why is
it dangerous to treat sodium cyanide with acids
(such as HCl) without proper ventilation?
15.121 How many grams of NaCN would you need to dis-
solve in enough water to make exactly 250 mL of
solution with a pH of 10.00?
15.122 A solution of formic acid (HCOOH) has a pH of
2.53. How many grams of formic acid are there in
100.0 mL of the solution?
15.123 Calculate the pH of a 1-L solution containing 0.150
mole of CH3COOH and 0.100 mole of HCl.
15.124 A 1.87-g sample of Mg reacts with 80.0 mL of a
HCl solution whose pH is 0.544. What is the pH
of the solution after all the Mg has reacted? Assume
constant volume.
15.125 You are given two beakers, one containing an aque-
aqueous solution of weak acid (HB) of the same
concentration. Describe how you would compare
the strengths of these two acids by (a) measuring
the pH, (b) measuring electrical conductance, (c)
studying the rate of hydrogen gas evolution when
these solutions are reacted with an active metal such
as Mg or Zn.
15.126 Use Le Chatelier’s principle to predict the effect of
the following changes on the extent of hydrolysis of
sodium nitrite (NaNO2) solution: (a) HCl is added,
(b) NaOH is added, (c) NaCl is added, (d) the so-
lution is diluted.
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15.127 Describe the hydration of SO2 as a Lewis acid-base
reaction. (Hint: Refer to the discussion of the hy-
dration of CO2 on p. 632.)
15.128 The disagreeable odor of fish is mainly due to or-
ganic compounds (RNH2) containing an amino
group, ONH2, where R is the rest of the molecule.
Amines are bases just like ammonia. Explain why
putting some lemon juice on fish can greatly reduce
the odor.
15.129 A solution of methylamine (CH3NH2) has a pH of
10.64. How many grams of methylamine are there
in 100.0 mL of the solution?
15.130 A 0.400 M formic acid (HCOOH) solution freezes
at 0.758°C. Calculate the Ka of the acid at that
temperature. (Hint: Assume that molarity is equal to
molality. Carry your calculations to three significant
figures and round off to two for Ka.)
15.131 Both the amide ion (NH 3
2 ) and the nitride ion (N )
are stronger bases than the hydroxide ion and hence
do not exist in aqueous solutions. (a) Write equa-
tions showing the reactions of these ions with wa-
ter, and identify the Brønsted acid and base in each
case. (b) Which of the two is the stronger base?
15.132 The atmospheric sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentration
over a certain region is 0.12 ppm by volume.
Calculate the pH of the rainwater due to this pollu-
tant. Assume that the dissolution of SO2 does not
affect its pressure.
15.133 Calcium hypochlorite [Ca(OCl)2] is used as a dis-
infectant for swimming pools. When dissolved in
water it produces hypochlorous acid
Ca(OCl)2(s)  2H2O(l) 3:4
2HClO(aq)  Ca(OH)2(s)
which ionizes as follows:
HClO(aq) 3:4 H(aq)  ClO(aq)
Ka  3.0  108
As strong oxidizing agents, both HClO and ClO
can kill bacteria by destroying their cellular com-
ponents. However, too high a HClO concentration
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QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS 641
is irritating to the eyes of swimmers and too high a
concentration of ClO will cause the ions to de-
compose in sunlight. The recommended pH for pool
water is 7.8. Calculate the percent of these species
present at this pH.
15.134 Explain the action of smelling salt, which is am-
monium carbonate [(NH4)2CO3]. (Hint: The thin
film of aqueous solution that lines the nasal passage
is slightly basic.)
15.135 About half of the hydrochloric acid produced annu-
ally in the United States (3.0 billion pounds) is used
in metal pickling. This process involves the removal
of metal oxide layers from metal surfaces to prepare
them for coating. (a) Write the overall and net ionic
equations for the reaction between iron(III) oxide,
which represents the rust layer over iron, and HCl.
Identify the Brønsted acid and base. (b) Hydro-
chloric acid is also used to remove scale (which is
mostly CaCO3) from water pipes (see p. 116).
Hydrochloric acid reacts with calcium carbonate in
two stages; the first stage forms the bicarbonate ion,
which then reacts further to form carbon dioxide.
Write equations for these two stages and for the
overall reaction. (c) Hydrochloric acid is used to re-
cover oil from the ground. It dissolves rocks (often
CaCO3) so that the oil can flow more easily. In one
process, a 15 percent (by mass) HCl solution is in-
jected into an oil well to dissolve the rocks. If the
density of the acid solution is 1.073 g/mL, what is
the pH of the solution?
Answers to Practice Exercises: 15.1 (1) H2O (acid) and
OH (base); (2) HCN (acid) and CN (base). 15.2 7.7  1015
M. 15.3 0.12. 15.4 4.7  104 M. 15.5 7.40.
15.6 12.56. 15.7 Smaller than 1. 15.8 2.09. 15.9 2.2  106.
15.10 12.03. 15.11 [C2H2O4]  0.11 M, [C2HO 4 ]  0.086 M,
5
4 ]  6.1  10
[C2O2 M, [H]  0.086 M. 15.12 H3PO3.
15.13 8.58. 15.14 3.09. 15.15 (a) pH ≈ 7, (b) pH  7,
(c) pH  7, (d) pH  7. 15.16 Lewis acid: Co3; Lewis base:
NH3.
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