MY PART IS HOW TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN ION AFFECTS THE pH

An ion can definitely affect the pH of a solution, but it depends on the type of ion, not all ions will act as
an acid or a base. Some, in fact, will not affect the pH of a solution at all. So we’re going to look at the
information:

 Acids: When an acid dissolves in water, it releases hydrogen ions (H+). These H+ ions react with
water to form hydronium ions (H3O+). The higher the concentration of H+ or H3O+ ions, the
lower the pH (more acidic).

 Bases: Bases, on the other hand, release hydroxide ions (OH-) in water. OH- ions react with H+ or
H3O+ to form water, reducing their concentration and raising the pH (more basic).

Here are some additional factors to consider:

 Type of Ion: Not all ions affect pH. For example, ions from neutral salts like NaCl (sodium
chloride) don't directly change the concentration of H+ or OH- and therefore won't significantly
alter pH.

 Concentration: The greater the concentration of an acid or base (and therefore the ions they
release), the more significant the impact on pH.

Consider the chloride ion. If it affects the pH, it will react with water in the following way:

Cl- + H2O ⇌ HCl + OH-

The base ionization constants Kb for Cl- is shown below:

Kb ghi ra

Now consider the cyanide ion. If it affects the pH, it will react with water in the following way

CN- + H2O ⇌ HCN + OH-

The base ionization constants Kb for CN- is shown below:

Kb ghi ra

CONCLUSION

SACHS TRANG 85

Exercise 1

For each of the following ions, predict whether it will act as an acid, a base, or neither in water according
to the Bronsted-Lowry theory. Briefly explain your reasoning.

 A. SO4²⁻ (sulfate ion)

 B. NH₄⁺ (ammonium ion)

 C. F⁻ (fluoride ion)

 D. HCO₃⁻ (hydrogen carbonate ion)

Lavelle talked about NaCl dissolving in water and how Cl wouldn't affect the pH so we could leave it out
of our calculations. I didn't understand how he knew Cl would not affect the pH.

When strong acids dissociate in water, Cl- for instance, is often given out into the water as a weaker
conjugate base anion. Whenever there is a strong acid, the stronger it is, the weaker the conjugate base
will be. Cl- was derived from HCl which is a strong acid (something you would look out for). The tendency
of a strong acid is that it will be eager to dissociate and release ions at a much more efficient rate than a
weak acid. The conjugate base is weaker, because it has less capacity to take up the protons and it is
overall weak/unstable. If Cl- tries to take up more protons from H2O, the strong acid just wants to
release it again, making so that Cl- doesn't play a significant role in altering the pH.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

1.

HCl (hydrochloric acid) breaks up completely into ions when dissolved in water. Here's why:

 HCl: Hydrochloric acid is a strong acid. Strong acids are characterized by their complete
dissociation in water. This means practically all HCl molecules separate into hydrogen (H+) and
chloride (Cl-) ions when dissolved.

o Dissociation Equation: HCl (aq) -> H+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)

 HCN (hydrogen cyanide): In contrast, HCN is a weak acid. Weak acids only dissociate partially in
water. This means only a small fraction of HCN molecules give up a proton to become H+ and
CN- ions. The majority remains as undissociated HCN molecules in equilibrium with the ions.

o Equilibrium Equation: HCN (aq) + H2O (l) <=> H+ (aq) + CN- (aq)

3.

Bronsted-Lowry and Ion Behavior:

In Bronsted-Lowry theory, acids donate protons (H+) and bases accept protons. Here's
how it applies to ions:

 Positive Ions (Cations): While less common, some cations can act as weak
acids by donating a proton to water. For example, ammonium ion (NH4+) from a
weak base (ammonia) can donate a proton to water, forming NH3 (ammonia)
and H3O+ (hydronium ion), slightly lowering the pH.
 Negative Ions (Anions): Anions generally don't act as Bronsted-Lowry acids
(proton donors). However, they can influence the pH indirectly depending on the
acid/base properties of their neutral counterparts.
Key takeaway: The ability of an ion (positive or negative) to affect pH depends on its
propensity to donate or accept protons according to Bronsted-Lowry theory, not just
whether it comes from a strong or weak base/acid.
4.

a. Na+ doesn’t affect pH, only OH- does

b.