What is the expected pH of a 0.10 M HNO3 solution?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the calculation of the expected pH of a nitric acid (HNO3) solution at a specific concentration. HNO3 is a strong acid and will dissociate completely in water, so we can determine the pH using the concentration of H+ ions in the solution.
Answer
The expected pH of a 0.1 M nitric acid solution is 1.
Answer for screen readers
The expected pH of a 0.1 M nitric acid (HNO3) solution is 1.
Steps to Solve
- Determine the concentration of H+ ions
Since nitric acid (HNO3) is a strong acid, it dissociates completely in water. This means that the concentration of hydrogen ions ($H^+$) will be equal to the concentration of the nitric acid solution.
For example, if the concentration of HNO3 is given as 0.1 M, then:
$$ [H^+] = 0.1 , \text{M} $$
- Use the pH formula
The pH of a solution can be calculated using the formula:
$$ \text{pH} = -\log [H^+] $$
We will substitute the concentration of the hydrogen ions we determined in the first step into this formula.
- Calculate the pH
Substituting the concentration from step 1 into the pH formula:
If $[H^+] = 0.1 , \text{M}$, then:
$$ \text{pH} = -\log(0.1) $$
This can be calculated as follows:
$$ \text{pH} = 1 $$
- Final check
Verify your calculations and ensure that you followed each step correctly, confirming that strong acids completely dissociate. Ensure that there are no additional factors affecting pH.
The expected pH of a 0.1 M nitric acid (HNO3) solution is 1.
More Information
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, where 0 is extremely acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is extremely basic. Nitric acid is one of the strong acids and is commonly used in laboratories and industries.
Tips
- Assuming that the concentration of $H^+$ ions is less than the concentration of HNO3 for strong acids.
- Forgetting to calculate the logarithm correctly, especially if using a calculator.
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