Ionic Equilibria

SANITARY CHEMIST
Ionic Equilibria
Neils Academy Aiswarya R

• The equilibrium established between the unionised molecules and
the ions in the solution of weak electrolytes is called ionic
equilibrium.
CH3 COOH ⇔ CH3COO– + H–
Electrolytes
• Chemical substances which can conduct electricity in their aqueous state or in
molten state are called electrolytes. The conduction of current through
electrolyte is due to the movement of ions.
• Electrolytes in ionic equilibrium can be further classified into strong and weak
electrolytes.
1. Strong Electrolytes
• Electrolytes which dissociate almost completely into constituent ions in aqueous
solution are known as strong electrolytes.
• Eg: all salts (except HgCl2, CdBr2) mineral acids like HCl, H2SO4, HNO3 etc. and
bases like NaOH. KOH. etc.
2. Weak Electrolytes
• Electrolytes which dissociate to a lesser extent in aqueous solution are called

weak electrolyte.
Eg: all organic acids (except sulphonic acids), and bases like NH3. NH4OH, amines
etc.
Degree of Ionisation or Degree of Dissociation (α)
• It is the fraction of the total number of molecules which ionise (dissociate)into
constituent ions.
• α = (number of molecules ionised or dissociated/total number of molecules
taken)
• For strong electrolytes, α=1
• For weak electrolytes α<1
• Values of the degree of dissociation depends upon the following factors
1.nature of solute
2.nature of solvent
3.concentration
4.temperature
Ionic product of water
• Pure water is a weak electrolyte. It ionises itself to a minimal extent producing
protons and hydroxyl ions. The self-ionisation of water may be represented as:
• Since water is ionised to a minimal extent, out of millions of water molecules,

only a few are dissociated into H+ and OH– Ions. Thus, the concentration of
unionised water molecules, i.e.,[H2O] remains almost constant
• Then the equilibrium constant, K, is given by;
• Water is a pure liquid, and its concentration remains constant.

• Therefore, K[H2O]2= constant, which can take as Kw
• Kw=[H3O+][OH–] (or) simply, Kw=[H+][OH–]
• Here, the constant Kw is known as an ionic product of water at a given
temperature.
ionic product of water (Kw)
• The new constant, a product of the concentration of water and equilibrium

constant, is called an ionic product of water (Kw). It is also called the auto
protolysis constant of water. The ionic product of water (Kw) at a given
temperature is defined as the concentration of proton [H+] and hydroxyl
ions (OH–) in water or aqueous solutions.
Effect of temperature:
• With the rise in temperature, there is increase in concentrations of these ions and
hence the value of the ionic product also increases.
• At 25°C, the value of ionic product is 1×10-14.
• Therefore, H+=OH-=1×10-7.
• But for different temperatures, these values may be different and can be
calculated accordingly.
Ostwald’s Dilution Law
• According to Ostwald,the degree of dissociation of weak electrolyte is inversely

proportional to the square root of the molar concentration of the solution.
• K is dissociation constant and C is molar concentration of the solution.

Dissociation Constant of WeakAcid and Weak Base(Ka)
• Weak acids only partially dissociate to release H+ ions. The equilibrium position
lies far to the left. For any weak acid (HA), the dissociation reaction is:
• For a general weak acid, HA:
• The acid dissociation constant (Ka) is a measure of the extent to which an acid
dissociates in solution and therefore its strength. The less an acid dissociates,
the smaller the value of Ka. The stronger the acid, the higher the value of Ka.
• The value of Ka is constant at a specific temperature.
• We can use this fact to calculate the pH of a weak acid at a set temperature.
• At equilibrium, the [H+] = [A- ], so:
• As the degree of dissociation for weak acids is very small, the [HA] at equilibrium
can be assumed to be the same as the initial concentration of HA.
• If the values of Ka and the initial concentration of HA are known, the

concentration of H+ ions can be found by re-arranging the above expression and
determining the pH.
Questions
1. Which of the following may not be a strong electrolyte?
a) hydrochloric acid
b) sulfuric acid
c) nitric acid
d) ammonia Ans: d
2. All organic acids except sulfonic acid are _____________ electrolytes.
a) weak
b) strong
c) not
d) neither strong nor weak Ans: a
3. 7. Which of the following is in Ionic Equilibrium?
a) 2AgI + Na2S Ag2S + 2NaI
b) 4 NH3 + 5 O2 4 NO + 6 H2O
c) TiCl4 + 2 H2O TiO2 + 4 HCl
d) H2O + H2O H3O+ + OH– Ans: d
4. What is the degree of dissociation for strong electrolytes?
a) 1
b) 0
c) less than 1
d) greater than 1 Ans: a
5. Degree of dissociation does not depend on which of the following factors?
a) nature of the solute
b) nature of the solvent
c) sound
d) concentration Ans: c

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SANITARY CHEMIST

Neils Academy Aiswarya R

• Electrolytes which dissociate to a lesser extent in aqueous solution are called

• Since water is ionised to a minimal extent, out of millions of water molecules,

• Water is a pure liquid, and its concentration remains constant.

• The new constant, a product of the concentration of water and equilibrium

• According to Ostwald,the degree of dissociation of weak electrolyte is inversely

• K is dissociation constant and C is molar concentration of the solution.

• For a general weak acid, HA:

• If the values of Ka and the initial concentration of HA are known, the

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