Acids and Bases

Mathematical Questions:
1) A research chemist adds a measured amount of HCl gas to pure water at 25°C and obtains
a solution with [H3O] = 3.0X 10-4 M. Calculate [OH-]. Is the solution neutral, acidic, or
basic?
2) In an art restoration project, a conservator prepares copper-plate etching solutions by
diluting concentrated HNO3 to 2.0 M, 0.30 M, and 0.0063 M HNO3. Calculate [H3O+],
pH, [OH-], and pOH of the three solutions at 25°C.
3) Predict the net direction and whether Kc is greater or less than 1 for each of the following
reactions (assume equal initial concentrations of all species):
(a) H2PO4-(aq) + NH3(aq) = NH4 +(aq) + HPO42- (aq)
(b) H2O(l) + HS-(aq) = OH-(aq) + H2S(aq)
4) The conjugate acid of ammonia is NH4+ , a weak acid. If a 0.2 M NH4Cl solution has a pH
of 5 .0, what is the Ka of NH4 + ?
5) Propanoic acid (CH3CH2COOH, which we simplify as HPr) is a carboxylic acid whose
salts are used to retard mold growth in foods. What is the [H3O+] of 0.10 M HPr (Ka = 1.3
X l0-5)?
6) Ascorbic acid (H2C6H6O6; H2Asc for this problem), known as vitamin C, is a diprotic acid
(Ka = l.0 X 10-5 and Ka2 = 5 X 10-12) found in citrus fruit. Calculate [H2Asc], [HAsc-],
[Asc2-], and the pH of 0.050 M H2Asc.
7) Pyridine (C5H5N, see margin) plays a major role in organic syntheses as a solvent and
base. It has a pKb of 8.77. What is the pH of 0.10 M pyridine?
8) Sodium acetate (CH3COONa, or NaAc for this problem) has applications in photographic
development and textile dyeing. What is the pH of 0.25 M NaAc? Ka of acetic acid
(HAc) is 1.8 X l0-5.
9) Determine whether solutions of the following salts are acidic, basic, or neutral: (a)
Cu(CH3COO)2; (b) NH4F.
10) Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), HC9H7O4, is the most widely used pain reliever and fever
reducer. Find the pH of 0.018 M aqueous aspirin at body temperature (Ka at 37°C = 3.6X
10-4).