MCAT Physical : Acid-Base Chemistry

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for MCAT Physical

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 : Acid Base Chemistry

A solution of hydrofluoric acid has a concentration of 

The  for  is .

What is the pH of the solution?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Since hydrofluoric acid is a weak acid, an ICE table needs to be set up in order to determine the hydronium ion concentration. Since both fluoride ion and hydronium ion concentrations will increase by , while the acid concentration will decrease by , the equilibrium expression comes out to be:

Note that the  in the denominator will have a negligible effect and can be ignored.

Since  is equal to the hydronium ion concentration, we can calculate the pH by taking the negative log of the concentration:

Example Question #12 : Acid Base Chemistry

A solution of hydrofluoric acid has a concentration of .

The  for  is .

If sodium hydroxide is slowly added to the acid solution, what will the pH be at the equivalence point? 

Assume the concentration of the acid is not changed with the addition.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

At the equivalence point, there are equimolar amounts of acid and base. This means that all weak acid has been neutralized, and only the conjugate base remains. Since the conjugate base of a weak acid will affect the pH, we need to use an ICE table in order to find the pH. First, we start by finding the base dissociation constant of the conjugate base, using the equation:

The balanced equation for the conjugate base dissociation is:

As the hydroxide ion and acid concentrations increase by , the fluoride ion concentration will decrease by . This makes the equilibrium expression:

Since this is the hydroxide concentration, we can find the pH by taking the negative log of this value, then subtracting from 14:

 

 

Example Question #13 : Acid Base Chemistry

Based on the above information, it is expected that __________.

Possible Answers:

There are an equal number of water molecules, hydronium ions, and hydroxide ions

The concentration of the hydroxide ion is 

The concentration of the cation is 

The product of the anion and cation concentrations is 

Correct answer:

The concentration of the cation is 

Explanation:

Since the product of the cation and anion is , the only true statement is that the concentration of the cation  is the square root of this number:

Example Question #11 : Acid Base Chemistry

250mL of 2N  is added to 100mL of 5N . An indicator in the solution is known to be yellow at any pH greater than 8.3 and green at any pH less than 8.3. Which of the following best describes the solution once it reaches equilibrium?

Possible Answers:

Basic and yellow

Acidic and green

Basic and green

Acidic and yellow

Neutral and green

Correct answer:

Acidic and green

Explanation:

Each of these compounds requires one equivalent of H+ is added to 100mL of 5N NHmol, so for HClO4, 2N = 2M, and for NH3, 5N = 5M.

Using the concentrations and volumes, we can find the moles, finding \dpi{100} \small 0.25\times 2=0.5mol HClO4 and \dpi{100} \small 0.10\times 5=0.5mol NH3.

In this case, equivalents of acid are equal to the equivalents of base, meaning that we are at the equivalence point in a titration. HClO4 is a strong acid, and NH3 is a weak base.

Thus, the acid will fully dissociate, while the base will not, resulting in a greater concentration of H+ than OH in the solution. This means the resulting solution will be acidic. We know that the indicator changes from yellow to green at 8.3, which is a basic pH. Our initial solution is basic, and we must pass through the pH of 8.3 to reach our final acidic solution, with pH < 8.3, meaning that the indicator must change from yellow to green during the reaction. This gives out final answer that the solution will be acidic and green.

Example Question #15 : Acid Base Chemistry

Consider the titration curve, in which an acid is treated with aqueous 0.5M NaOH.

Mcat8

Which of the following compounds could be the acid that is being titrated in this experiment?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

NaOH is a strong base, so if the acid were a strong acid, the pH at equivalence would be 7. The graph, however, shows that the pH at equivalence is greater than 7, which means the acid being titrated is a weak acid.

We can also find the approximate pKa value from the half equivalence point. In the graph, the equivalence point occurs at a pH around 8.9, corresponding to the addition of about 22mL of NaOH. The half equivalence point will thus be after the addition of approximately 11mL of NaOH, giving a pH of 5.0. The pH at the half equivalence is equal to the pKa, meaning that the Ka value must be around 10-5.

This leads to our answer, .

Example Question #1 : Titration Curves

A titration reaches its equivalence point. You measure the pH and find it to be 6.4. You were most likely working with which of the following sets of compounds:

Possible Answers:

H2S and C5H8O2

HNO3 and NH3

HCl and NaOH

HF and KOH

HCN and LiOH

Correct answer:

HNO3 and NH3

Explanation:

For a strong acids and strong base, the equivalence pH will be 7.0. We can see that our equivalence pH is less than 7.0, meaning that the acidic component is prevailing. Hence, we must be working with an acid that is stronger than our base. HNO3 is a strong acid, and NH3 is a weak base, meaning that the acid will prevail, and the pH will be acidic (<7.0).

The other answer choices show a strong acid and strong base (HCl and NaOH), a weak acid and strong base (HF and KOH, HCN and LiOH), and a weak acid and weak base (H2S and C5H8O2). Though the equivalence pH of a weak acid and weak base may not be 7.0, we do not have enough information to choose this answer. The best answer choice is HNO3 and NH3

Example Question #17 : Acid Base Chemistry

Which of the following pH values is an acceptable equivalence point for a weak base being titrated by a strong acid?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The equivalence point is the point during a titration when there are equal equivalents of acid and base in the solution. Since a strong acid will have more effect on the pH than the same amount of a weak base, we predict that the solution's pH will be acidic at the equivalence point. 5.2 and 1.3 are both acidic, but 1.3 is remarkably acidic considering that there is an equal amount of base in the solution. As a result, 5.2 is a more appropriate answer.

The equivalence point for a strong acid and strong base will be 7.0. When one of the compounds is weak, however, it will dissociate less than its strong counterpart. In our case, the base will dissociate less than the acid. The acid, thus, contributes more to the pH character of the solution.

Example Question #1 : Titration Curves

A weak acid is slowly titrated with a strong base. Where on the titration curve would the solution be the most well-buffered?

Possible Answers:

The equivalence point

When no base has been added

When the amount of base added equals the amount of acid in the solution.

The half equivalence point

Correct answer:

The half equivalence point

Explanation:

At the half equivalence point, the concentration of acid in the solution is equal to the concentration of the conjugate base in solution. At this point, the graph shows a line that is near horizontal. This means that base or acid could be added and the pH of the solution would change very slowly.

Remember that pH is on the y-axis of the titration curve; thus a near-horizontal line will signify a region where pH is most stable. At the half equivalence point, pH = pKa.

Example Question #1 : Titration Curves

Which of the following curves represents the titration of a strong base by a strong acid?

Possible Answers:

C

D

A

B

Correct answer:

A

Explanation:

Since we are adding acid to a base, the pH must decrease. The initial base will have a high pH, while the final acid will have a low pH; the right of the curve must be lower than the left. In addition, the pH does not change very rapidly until the equivalence point is reached, hence the curve must show little initial change followed by a rapid change.

Example Question #1 : Titration Curves

Acids and bases can be described in three principal ways. The Arrhenius definition is the most restrictive. It limits acids and bases to species that donate protons and hydroxide ions in solution, respectively. Examples of such acids include HCl and HBr, while KOH and NaOH are examples of bases. When in aqueous solution, these acids proceed to an equilibrium state through a dissociation reaction.

All of the bases proceed in a similar fashion.

 

The Brønsted-Lowry definition of an acid is a more inclusive approach. All Arrhenius acids and bases are also Brønsted-Lowry acids and bases, but the converse is not true. Brønsted-Lowry acids still reach equilibrium through the same dissociation reaction as Arrhenius acids, but the acid character is defined by different parameters. The Brønsted-Lowry definition considers bases to be hydroxide donors, like the Arrhenius definition, but also includes conjugate bases such as the A- in the above reaction. In the reverse reaction, A- accepts the proton to regenerate HA. The Brønsted-Lowry definition thus defines bases as proton acceptors, and acids as proton donors.

A scientist decides to study an acid, , by carefully adding a base to the solution through a titration. At the equivalence point of an acid-base titration __________.

Possible Answers:

all the base has been neutralized by the titrant

half of the acid has been neutralized by the titrant

all the acid has been neutralized by the titrant

half of the base has been neutralized by the titrant

Correct answer:

all the acid has been neutralized by the titrant

Explanation:

A titrant is added to a solution being studied. In this scenario, the base is the titrant and the equivalence point is reached when all of the acid has been neutralized by the base. The equivalence point is defined as the point at which moles of added titrant equal the moles of initial solute in solution.

The equimolar concentration of acid and conjugate base happens at a point known as the half-equivalence point, which can be confusing.

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