Chapter 16: Problem 112
What is the pH of the solution obtained by mixing \(24.80 \mathrm{mL}\) of \(0.248 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{HNO}_{3}\) and \(15.40 \mathrm{mL}\) of \(0.394 \mathrm{M}\) \(\space\) \(KOH?\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
The pH of the solution obtained by mixing \(24.80 \mathrm{mL}\) of \(0.248 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{HNO}_{3}\) and \(15.40 \mathrm{mL}\) of $0.394 \mathrm{M}\( \)\space\( \)KOH$ is approximately 2.7. The solution is acidic due to the excess \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \).
Step by step solution
01
Write the balanced chemical equation
The reaction between nitric acid (\( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \)) and potassium hydroxide (\( \mathrm{KOH} \)) can be written as follows: \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 + \mathrm{KOH} \rightarrow \mathrm{KNO}_3 + \mathrm{H}_2\mathrm{O} \). This equation tells us that one mole of acid reacts with one mole of base, so the stoichiometry of the reaction is 1:1.
02
Calculate the moles of each reactant
Next, we need to calculate the number of moles of \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) and \( \mathrm{KOH} \). The number of moles of a solution is calculated by multiplying the volume of the solution (in liters) by its molarity. For \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \): Number of moles = \(0.0248 \mathrm{L} \times 0.248 \mathrm{M} = 0.00615 \mathrm{mol} \). For \( \mathrm{KOH} \): Number of moles = \(0.0154 \mathrm{L} \times 0.394 \mathrm{M} = 0.00607 \mathrm{mol} \).
03
Identify excess reactant
Because the stoichiometry of the reaction is 1:1, the reactant with the greater number of moles will be in excess. Here, \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) is in excess because it has more moles \( (0.00615 \) mol) than \( \mathrm{KOH} (0.00607\) mol). After reaction, there will be an excess of \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \), and it is this excess \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) that determines the pH of the solution.
04
Calculate excess moles and final concentration
The excess amount of \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) is obtained by subtracting the moles of \( \mathrm{KOH} \) from moles of \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \): Excess \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) = \(0.00615 \mathrm{mol} - 0.00607 \mathrm{mol} = 0.00008 \mathrm{mol} \). The total volume of the solution is \(24.80 \mathrm{mL} + 15.40 \mathrm{mL} = 40.20 \mathrm{mL} = 0.0402 \mathrm{L} \). The final concentration of \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) is then: \( \mathrm{concentration} = \frac{\mathrm{moles}}{\mathrm{volume}} = \frac{0.00008 \mathrm{mol}}{0.0402 \mathrm{L}} = 0.002 \mathrm{M} \).
05
Calculate pH
Now, calculate the pH of the solution. The formula for calculating pH is \( \mathrm{pH} = -\log[\mathrm{H^+}] \). For strong acids like \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \), we can assume that they completely dissociate in water, so the concentration of \( \mathrm{H^+} \) ions is simply the concentration of the acid: \( \mathrm{pH} = -\log(0.002) = 2.7 \).
06
Conclusion
Therefore, the pH of the solution obtained by mixing \(24.80 \mathrm{mL}\) of \(0.248 \mathrm{M} \mathrm{HNO}_{3}\) and \(15.40 \mathrm{mL}\) of $0.394 \mathrm{M}\( \)\space\( \)KOH$ is approximately 2.7. Because the pH is less than 7, this tells us that the solution is acidic, which is expected because there was an excess of \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Acid-Base Reaction
An acid-base reaction involves the transfer of hydrogen ions from the acid to the base. In our example, nitric acid (\( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \)) is the acid and potassium hydroxide (\( \mathrm{KOH} \)) is the base. The balanced equation for the reaction is:
- \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 + \mathrm{KOH} \rightarrow \mathrm{KNO}_3 + \mathrm{H}_2\mathrm{O} \)
Stoichiometry
Stoichiometry helps us understand the quantitative relationships between reactants and products in a chemical reaction. In this scenario, the stoichiometry is 1:1, which means equal moles of \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) and \( \mathrm{KOH} \) will completely react. We calculate the moles of each reactant by multiplying their respective volumes (converted to liters) by their molarities:
- \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) moles = \( 0.0248 \, \mathrm{L} \times 0.248 \, \mathrm{M} = 0.00615 \, \mathrm{mol} \)
- \( \mathrm{KOH} \) moles = \( 0.0154 \, \mathrm{L} \times 0.394 \, \mathrm{M} = 0.00607 \, \mathrm{mol} \)
Molarity
Molarity (M) is a measure of the concentration of a solution expressed as the number of moles of solute per liter of solution. It gives us insights into how many moles of a substance are present in a given volume.To find the molarity of the excess \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) after the reaction, we calculate:
- Excess moles of \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) = \( 0.00615 \, \mathrm{mol} - 0.00607 \, \mathrm{mol} = 0.00008 \, \mathrm{mol} \)
- Total volume of solution = \( 24.80 \, \mathrm{mL} + 15.40 \, \mathrm{mL} = 40.20 \, \mathrm{mL} = 0.0402 \, \mathrm{L} \)
- Molarity of excess \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) = \( \frac{0.00008 \, \mathrm{mol}}{0.0402 \, \mathrm{L}} = 0.002 \, \mathrm{M} \)
Chemical Equilibrium
Chemical equilibrium in the context of acid-base reactions involves the balance between the concentration of acids and bases. Here, because \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) is a strong acid, it dissociates completely, and the equilibrium heavily favors the products.When calculating the pH, we use the concentration of \( \mathrm{H^+} \) ions, which is equal to the concentration of \( \mathrm{HNO}_3 \) in this scenario. The pH is calculated by:
- \( \mathrm{pH} = -\log[\mathrm{H^+}] \)
- Substituting the available concentration: \( \mathrm{pH} = -\log(0.002) = 2.7 \)