Fundamentals of Environmental Processes 93

where vi and vj are the stoichiometric coefficients in the equation, and

∆Gfo are the standard free energy of each reactant and product. The rele-
vant equation in this example is as follows:

H2CO3* I H+ + HCO–3

Looking up the ∆Gfo values and substituting,

kJ
∆Go = – 586.8 + 0 – (–623.2) = 36.5 
mole
Hence,

 
kJ
–∆Go –36.5  

 
mole
K = exp  = exp  kJ = 4.04 × 10–7
RT 0.008314  
mole-K (25 + 273)K

(2) The relevant equations are first compiled along with their respective
equilibrium constants:

[ H+][CO–3]
H2CO3* S HCO–3 + H+ K1 =  = 10–6.3
[ H2CO3]

[H+][CO32–]
HCO–3 S CO32–+ H+ K2 =  = 10–10.2
[HCO–3]

[H+][OH–]
H2O S OH– + H+ K w =  = 10–14
[ H2O]

The above expressions can be formulated as a set of simultaneous equations:

log K1 = log [ H+] + log [ HCO–3] – log [ H2CO3]

log K2 = log [ H+] + log [ CO32–] – log [ HCO–3]

log Kw = log [ H+] + log [ OH–]

In addition to the above equations, a total mass balance on carbon can

be written:

CT = [H2CO3] + [HCO–3] + [CO32–]

The above set of linear simultaneous equations has to be solved to develop the
required plot. See Modeling Example 9.6 in Chapter 9 for a computer imple-
mentation of the solution process.