Week 2 Assignment

Karine Mirakyan
Advanced Chemistry
CHM2021E3
Dr. Ozair
Everglades University
 Week 2 Assignment

Chapter 17

a) HF is considered a weak acid because it only partially dissociates in water as fluorine has
a very high electronegativity which makes its bond to the hydrogen molecule very strong.
The Ka constant equation is [H+][F-] / [HF]
b) HCHO2 is considered a weak acid because of its partial dissociation in water, as the
hydrogen atoms and the oxygen atoms in the carboxyl group are very attracted to each
other thus dissipating the bond between the hydrogen atoms of HCHO2 and the oxygen
atoms of H2O. The Ka constant equation is [H+][CHO2-] / [HCHO2]
c) H2SO4 is considered a strong acid for its high ability in donating H+ ions which leads to
its complete dissociation in water
d) H2CO3 is considered a weak acid because it does not fully dissociate in water due to the
O-H bonds in its formation that are not easy to ionize which is why it is in equilibrium
with CO2 and H2O. The Ka constant equation is [H+][HCO2-] / [H2CO3]

Acid rain is rain that contains an unusual amount of acidity caused by the release of nitrogen
oxides and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels and our own vehicles
used for transportation leads to nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide to be released into the
atmosphere where they react with oxygen (O2) and water vapor (H2O) to form nitric acid
(H2SO4) and sulfuric acid (HNO2). They are then carried down to Earth’s surface in the form of
rain, snow, and/or fog. Acid rain causes multitudes of harm to the Earth’s environment,
especially our lakes and water sources in which marine ecosystems can deteriorate from the
lowering of their natural environments’ pH level.

Chapter 18

a) Sodium Acetate (NaCH3COO) can be added to acetic acid (CH3COOH) as a buffer

because it contains acetate ions which then can react to the hydrogen ions of acetic acid
to maintain pH stability when an acid or base is added.
b) A combination of acetic acid (CH₃COOH) and sodium acetate (NaCH₃COO) can be
added to sodium nitrate (NaNO3), as acetic acid releases hydrogen ions (H+), and sodium
acetate releases acetate ions (CH3COO-), so that if any hydrogen ions are added, it will
form acetic acid and the pH of the solution will remain stable.
c) Ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) can be added to ammonia (NH3) in order to stabilize the
pH levels of the solution as ammonium chloride is the conjugate acid that combines with
the weak base ammonia through the use of ammonium ions (NH4+) and chloride ions
(Cl-).
 d) Formic acid (HCOOH) can be added to potassium formate (HCOOK) in order to stabilize
the pH of the solution, as formic acid dissociates to form hydrogen ions (H+) and
potassium formate dissociates to produce formate ions (HCOO-)

2.
a) Initial pH is determined by the concentration of strong acid before any base is added
b) pH before the equivalence point is determined by the amount of strong acid that remains
unneutralized by strong base
c) At the equivalence point, the moles of the ions (H+) of the acid should equal the moles of
the (OH-) of the base. pH should equal 7
d) Beyond the equivalence point, pH is determined by the excess strong base added.

Chapter 19

1. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only
transferred or transformed. According to the first law of thermodynamics, an isolated
system's total energy never changes. This practically means that every energy consumed
in a process has to originate from somewhere and will eventually end up somewhere. For
instance, chemical energy from fuel is transformed to thermal energy and subsequently to
mechanical work when it is burned in an engine. Similar to this, electrical energy is
transformed into heat, light, or mechanical work in electrical appliances.
2. The third law of thermodynamics states that as temperature decreases to absolute, entropy
also decreases to its minimum constant value. Because the third law of thermodynamics
provides an exact benchmark for measuring entropy, it is important. A perfect crystal
would have one microstate, or the lowest energy state, at absolute zero, which would
indicate that its entropy would be zero. This equation has ramifications for quantum
mechanics and cryogenics as well as being essential for comprehending the behavior of
materials at extremely low temperatures. It also suggests that there is no way to go to
absolute zero in a limited amount of steps.
3. Because an electric lighter produces heat directly and with less energy loss than a butane
lighter through combustion, it is typically more efficient than a butane lighter.
4. The reactions that are spontaneous are the combustion of natural gas, as it releases a
significant amount of energy in the form of heat, and a hot drink cooling to room
temperature as it reaches equilibrium when heat flows from a warmer object to a cooler
one.