alingy2 said:What initial concentration of HF (aq) in water would give a solution with a pH = 1.5?
I think the K value is missing... How could we solve this problem?
The K-value, also known as the equilibrium constant, is a measure of the relative concentrations of reactants and products in a chemical reaction. In an acid-base problem, the K-value is used to determine the strength of an acid or base and predict the direction of the reaction.
The K-value may be missing in an acid-base problem if the reaction is not at equilibrium or if the concentrations of reactants and products are not known. In these cases, the K-value cannot be calculated and other methods must be used to solve the problem.
If the K-value is missing, you can solve the acid-base problem using other information such as the initial concentrations of reactants and products, the equilibrium expression, and the initial and final pH values. You may also need to use the principles of mass balance and charge balance to solve the problem.
Yes, the K-value can still be calculated if the acid or base is weak. However, the equilibrium constant expression may be more complicated and involve additional factors such as the acid or base dissociation constant and the autoionization constant of water.
The K-value directly affects the pH of a solution by determining the concentration of H+ or OH- ions. A larger K-value indicates a greater concentration of products, resulting in a higher pH. A smaller K-value indicates a lower concentration of products, resulting in a lower pH.