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CHEM 111 – PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL AND INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
FOURAH BAY COLLEGE
UNIVERSITY OF SIERRA LEONE
CHEM 111
PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL
AND INORGANIC
CHEMISTRY
CREDIT HOURS 2.0

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS C6 in WASSCE Chemistry or equivalent
To be taken alongside CHEM 114
REQUIRED FOR CHEM 121
CHEM 111
UNIT 1 – MOLES, FORMULAE AND EQUATIONS
COURSE OUTLINE
Moles, formulae and measurement: What is the meaning of relative atomic mass and how is it measured? What is a
chemical formula and what is the difference between relative formula mass, relative molecular mass and molar mass?
What is a mole and how is it related to mass, molar mass, aqueous volume, molar concentration (molarity), mass
concentration and gaseous volume?
How should we record measurements? What is the difference between accuracy and precision? How can we calculate
apparatus error and why is it important?
Chemical equations: What is a chemical equation? How do we balance equations? How can we use equations to predict
the amount of substance needed or produced in a chemical reaction? What is a limiting reagent? What is the difference
between yield and atom economy? What are the main types of chemical reaction and what are the differences between
them? What are ionic equations? What is the pH scale? What is volumetric analysis? What is the meaning of chemical
equivalency?
Principles of Scientific Enquiry: What is the difference between a theory, a theorem and a hypothesis? What is the
difference between a rule and a law? What is the difference between deduction and induction? What is serendipity?
CONTENTS
1. atomic mass units, use of carbon-12, relative isotopic mass, relative atomic mass,
principles of mass spectroscopy
2. review of chemical structures: giant ionic, giant covalent, simple molecular, giant
metallic structures; unit formula, molecular formula
3. measuring amount of substance; the mole; molar mass; amount of substance in solution;
ideal gas equation, empirical formula
4. principles of scientific measurement; accuracy and precision, appropriate degrees of
accuracy, units and their interconversion; % error
5. chemical equations; balancing equations; amount of substance calculations, limiting reagents;
simple volumetric analysis; atom economy and percentage yield
6. acid-base reactions and the pH scale
7. Solubility, precipitation and qualitative analysis
8. oxidation and reduction, oxidation numbers, redox reactions, disproportionation, redox

reactions in acidic and basic solution
9. Redox titrations; manganate, dichromate and iodine-thiosulphate titrations
10. Chemical equivalency of elements; concept of normality; principles of scientific enquiry;

induction, deduction, hypothesis, theory, serendipity
items in italics are covered at senior secondary level
CHEM 111
UNIT 2 – CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM
COURSE OUTLINE
What is chemical equilibrium? How can we write expressions for and deduce the values of Kc and Kp, and how can Kc and
Kp be interconverted? What is Le Chatelier’s principle and why is it useful?
What are heterogeneous equilibria? How can we write expressions for and deduce the values of Ksp, and how is this linked
to solubility? What is the common ion effect?
What are acid-base equilibria? What is meant by the auto-ionisation, and ionic product, of water? How can we calculate
the pH of strong and weak acids and bases from their molarity and vice versa? What is salt hydrolysis and how can we
calculate the pH of salts from their molarity and vice versa? What are buffer solutions, how can we prepare them, how can
we calculate their pH and why are they useful? What are acid-base indicators and how do they work? How can we choose
suitable indicators for use in acid-alkali titrations?
CONTENTS
1. Principles of chemical equilibrium; dynamic equilibrium, Kc and reaction quotient
2. Gaseous equilibria, mole fraction, partial pressure and Kp, relationship between Kp and Kc
3. Le Chatelier’s principle; effect of changing conditions on position of equilibrium and Kc
4. Heterogeneous equilibria, solubility constants and solubility
5. Introduction to acid-base equilibria; acid-base pairs, auto-ionisation of water, acids and bases in
water
6. pH and pOH of strong and weak acids and bases
7. Salt hydrolysis, Polyprotic acids and bases and very dilute solutions
8. Buffer solutions
9. Indicators and acid-base titrations
items in italics are covered at senior secondary level
CHEM 111
UNIT 1 – MOLES, FORMULAE AND EQUATIONS

Lesson 1
1. Atomic Structure
• The basic properties of these three particles can be summarized in the following table:
Particle Relative Charge Relative Mass
Proton +1 unit Approx 1 unit
Neutron No charge Approx 1 unit
Electron -1 unit Approx 1/1840 units (very small)
• All atoms have an atomic number (number of protons) and a mass number (number of nucleons); the
chemical symbol and main identity of the atom is based on its atomic number; atoms with the same
atomic number but different mass numbers are isotopes; they have the same chemical symbol; if a
specific isotope is being referred to it can be identified by its mass number as a superscript prefix to the
chemical symbol or separated by a hyphen after the name (eg 210Po or polonium-210)
• One unit of charge is 1.602 x 10-19 coulombs; protons have a charge of +1 unit and electrons have a
charge of -1 unit; all charges are measured in these units; the positive charge on a proton is exactly equal
to the negative charge on an electron
• Protons and neutrons (nucleons) have a similar, but not identical, mass; furthermore, the mass of
nucleons in one atom can vary from one atom to another (because of different binding energies); the
mass of a nucleon is therefore not constant; the masses of protons and neutrons, and hence the masses of
different atoms, are measured in atomic mass units (amu); 1 amu is 1.661 x 10-27 kg; this is 1/12th of the
mass of an atom of carbon-12, and is also therefore the average mass of a nucleon in carbon-12; a
nucleus of carbon-12 therefore has a mass of 12.00000 atomic mass units by definition; the mass of any
individual atom, or isotope, can be measured on this scale (ie in atomic mass units); the ratio of the mass
of an atom to 1/12th of the mass of an atom of carbon-12 is called the relative isotopic mass of an atom
• carbon-12 is chosen because its mass per nucleon neither unusually high nor unusually low, which
means the all relative isotopic masses are usually very close to the value of the mass number; in most
chemical calculations, the relative isotopic mass is taken to be equal to the mass number:
Isotope Mass number Relative isotopic mass
1
H 1 1.007825
4
He 4 4.002603
9
Be 9 9.012182
27
Al 27 26.981538
59
Co 59 58.933200
• The relative atomic mass of an atom is the ratio of the average mass of an atom to 1/12th of the mass of
one atom of carbon-12; it is the weighted average mass of the different isotopes of the atom; it can be
found to 1 decimal place in the Periodic Table
CHEM 111
• The time of flight (TOF) mass spectrometer is an instrument used for measuring accurately the masses
of atoms and molecules; it can also be used to measure the relative abundance of different isotopes and
to predict the structure of more complex molecules; a TOF mass spectrometer has the following
structure:
- first a sample is vaporized

- then it is ionized
- the ions are then accelerated to a uniform KE by an electric field
- the ions are then allowed to drift towards the detector; heavier ions move more slowly
- an electric current is detected each time an ion hits the detector
- the mass of the ion can be deduced from the time it takes to reach the detector, and its abundance
can be detected from the size of the current produced
• The relative atomic mass of the element can be calculated from its mass spectrum. An example of the
mass spectrum produced by Ne is shown below:
100
80
relative 60
abundance
40
20
18 20 22 24 26
M/Z
- The peak at 20 is Ne , and the peak at 22 is 22Ne+
20 +
CHEM 111
Lesson 2
2. Review of chemical structures and formulae
• Pure substances can be classified as either elements or compounds:

- An element is a substance containing only one type of atom
- A compound is a substance containing two or different atoms bonded together with a fixed
composition
• Atoms can combine to form elements or compounds in a number of different ways:

- Atoms can exchange electrons and become oppositely charged ions; the attraction between
oppositely charged ions is an ionic bond
- Atoms can share one or more pairs of electrons; each shared pair of electrons is attracted to the
nuclei of both atoms and is a covalent bond
- Atoms can give up electrons into a delocalised sea, forming cations in the process; the collective
attraction between the cations and the delocalised electrons is a metallic bond
• These bond types can give rise to a number of different chemical structures:
(i) Giant ionic lattice structures (compounds only)
- Oppositely charged ions tend to arrange themselves in ordered 3D lattices, each ion is
surrounded by several others of opposite charge and the lattice is held together by ionic bonds;
this is known as a giant ionic lattice structure; compounds with this structure are often called
ionic compounds.
- The ions in ionic compounds can be monatomic or polyatomic; the bonding within polyatomic
ions is covalent but they still form ionic bonds and giant ionic lattice structures with other ions
- Ionic compounds are represented by a unit formula, which is the ratio of each ion present in the
lattice, with the charges omitted
- The relative formula mass of an ionic compound is the sum of the relative atomic masses in the
unit formula
(ii) Giant metallic lattice structures (usually elements)
- Atoms lose electrons to form positive ions and arrange themselves in ordered 3D lattices, held
together by the attraction to the delocalised electrons (metallic bonds)
- Elements which have giant metallic lattice structures are called metals
- The formula of a metal is the symbol of the atom it is made from
CHEM 111
(iii) Simple molecular or simple atomic structures (elements and compounds)

- When atoms form covalent bonds with other atoms, it usually takes only a few bonds to form
before all atoms reach their bonding capacity; a small group of atoms held together by covalent
bonds is called a molecule
- Different molecules are held together by intermolecular forces (Van der Waal’s forces with or
without hydrogen bonding), but these forces are much weaker than covalent bonds
- The resulting structure consists of discrete molecules held together by intermolecular forces; this
is known as a simple molecular structure and is common in both elements and compounds
- Molecules are represented by a molecular formula, which is the total number of atoms of each
element in one molecule of that substance
- The relative molecular mass of a molecule is the sum of the relative atomic masses in the
molecular formula
- In noble gases, which form no bonds with each other at all, the individual atoms are held together
by weak Van der Waal’s forces; these are known as simple atomic structures; their formula is
the symbol of the individual atom
(iv) Giant covalent lattice structures (elements and compounds)
- In some cases, when atoms form covalent bonds, it is not possible to satisfy the bonding
requirements of each atom by the formation of a small molecule; in such cases the network of
covalent bonds stretches over a large number of atoms in two or three dimensions and a giant
lattice is formed; this is known as a giant covalent lattice structure and is found is both
elements and compounds
- The giant lattice can be a 2D lattice or a 3D lattice
- The formula of elements with giant covalent structures is the symbol of the atom is made from;
compounds with giant covalent structures are represented by a unit formula, which is the ratio of
the number of each type of atom in the structure
- The relative formula mass of a giant covalent structure is the sum of the relative atomic masses
in the unit formula
• The physical properties of elements and compounds depend on their chemical structure
• Analysis of any compound can give the composition of each element by mass; this can in turn can give
the empirical formula of a compound; this is the simplest whole number ratio of atoms of each element
in a compound; this is not the same as the molecular formula (of molecules) or the unit formula (for
ionic compounds) and further analysis is required to deduce the molecular formula of molecules and the
unit formula of ionic compounds
• In some cases, the pure substance is not the most convenient form in which to use it; instead, substances
are dissolved in a solvent to make a solution; this is common with molecules and ionic compounds; in
most cases the solvent is water and the solution is called an aqueous solution
CHEM 111
Lesson 3
3. The mole
• The mole is the SI unit for amount of substance (n); one mole is equivalent to 6.02 x 1023 particles (N)
this is known as Avogadro’s number (L); amount of substance has units of mol
• Avogadro’s number is defined as the number of atoms in 12.000 g of carbon-12; this means that one
mole of any atom must have a mass equal to its relative atomic mass in grams; this is known as the
molar mass (ar) of an atom and has units of gmol-1
• The molar mass of any element or compound (mr) is its relative formula mass, relative atomic mass or
relative molecular mass in grams
• The amount of substance, in moles, can be determined directly by measurement in three ways:
m
- of any pure substance, from a mass (m) measurement using a mass balance: n = ; because molar mass
mr
has units of gmol-1, the mass should be measured in grams (g); the SI unit of mass is the kilogram (kg)
- of any solution of known molarity (C), from a volume (V) measurement using a measuring cylinder,
pipette, burette or volumetric flask: n = CV; because molarity has units of moldm-3, the volume should
be measured in dm3; the SI unit of volume is m3 and most instruments measure volume in cm3
- of any gas, from a volume measurement using a gas syringe or inverted measuring cylinder, in addition
PV
to temperature (T) and pressure (P) measurements using the ideal gas equation: n = RT; in most cases
the pressure can be taken to be atmospheric pressure (1.01 x 105 Pa); SI units must be used for the ideal
gas equation, so volume should be in m3, pressure in Pa and temperature in K
CHEM 111
Lesson 4
4. Accuracy, Precision and measurement error
• Almost all quantities used in Chemistry are measurements, and are therefore subject to measurement
error:
- Graduated instruments such as measuring cylinders, gas syringes, burettes, mass balances and
thermometers typically have an error equal to half of the smallest graduation
- If instruments are used twice to obtain a single value (mass balances, thermometers, burettes) then the
error per reading is doubled
- Fixed measurement devices such as pipettes and volumetric flasks are individually labelled with the
measurement error
- Burettes have an additional error of 0.05 cm3 per reading due to the individual drop on the tip
- These errors can be expressed as percentage errors by dividing by the reading itself and expressing as a
percentage
- The total percentage error in an experiment can be calculated by summing the individual percentage
errors from each instrument in the experiment
• Apparatus errors are a limiting factor in the precision and accuracy with which results can be obtained;
measurements should reflect this limitation in the way they are recorded; the number of significant
figures used in an answer is an indication of the confidence in the accuracy of the result; results must
always be given to the number of significant figures than the apparatus error can justify; no more and no
less
• The final answer resulting from calculations which use measurements should be given to the same
number of significant figures as the least precise measurement
• Accuracy is a measure of the closeness of the result to the correct result; precision is a measure of the
closeness of the results to each other; the number of significant figures used in an answer is an
expression of the limits on precision, and hence the confidence in accuracy, with which the results have
been obtained
CHEM 111
Lesson 5
5. Equations and Chemical Reactions
• Chemical equations show the formulae (unit or molecular) of the reactants and products in a chemical
reaction; due to the law of conservation of mass, the total numbers of each atom must be the same on
both sides of the equation
• Chemical equations also show the molar ratio in which the reactants react together and produce
products; the ratios are written in front of each formula and are known as stoichiometric coefficients; the
stoichiometric coefficients can be deduced by balancing the equation
• The stoichiometric coefficients can be used to deduce the number of moles (and hence any mole-
dependent quantities) of any reactant or product involved in the reaction once the number of moles of
one reactant or product is known
• Unless the reactants are mixed together in the same mole ratio in which they react, one reactant will be
used up before the others; this is known as the limiting reactant and the other reactants are said to be in
excess
• The number of moles of product predicted by mole calculations should be regarded as a maximum; in
practice, the amount of product obtained will be less than this; the reaction may not proceed to
completion and other practical losses may occur as a result of the synthetic process; the amount of
product obtained is called the yield; this can be expressed as the percentage yield, by expressing it as a
percentage of the maximum product possible; the percentage yield will vary based on the conditions and
the practical details of the synthesis
• In many reactions, only one of the products formed is useful; the other products are waste products; the
sum of the molar masses of useful products in an equation can be expressed as a percentage of the sum
of the molar masses of all of the products in an equation; this is known as the percentage atom
economy of the reaction; atom economy is a property of the equation itself; it cannot be changed by
changing the conditions and is unrelated to the percentage yield
• The vast majority of chemical reactions can be described as either acid-base, redox or precipitation
reactions
CHEM 111
Lesson 6
6. Acid-base reactions and pH
• Several definitions exist for acids and bases (Arrhenius, Bronsted-Lowry, Lewis)
(a) Arrhenius definition
• An Arrhenius acid is a species which gives H3O+ ions (often simplified as H+ ions) in water; neither H+
nor H3O+ ions exist in any form other than aqueous so the species must react with water to produce
H3O+ ions: HA + H2O  H3O+ + A-; this is often simplified to HA  H+ + A-; if the acid dissociates
fully it is known as a strong acid (H2SO4, HCl and HNO3); most other acids only dissociate slightly and
are known as weak acids; some acids can produce more than one H+ ion (eg H3PO4 and H3PO4)
• An Arrhenius base is a species which gives OH- ions in water; some bases are solutions of ionic
hydroxides (eg NaOH); others dissociate in water to give OH- ions (eg NH3, CO32-); the Arrhenius
definition of a base is very narrow and Arrhenius bases are more commonly referred to as alkalis; bases
which fully dissociate in water to give OH- are called strong bases (only soluble ionic hydroxides); bases
which only partially dissociate are called weak bases; some bases can react with more than one H+ ion
• a more useful definition of a base is a species which can react with H+ ions to form a salt; this includes
all alkalis as well as insoluble ionic oxides, hydroxides and carbonates; a salt is a species formed by the
replacement of H+ in an acid with a metal ion or ammonium ion; a neutralisation reaction is a reaction
between an acid and a base to form a salt; acids and bases which can donate or accept more than one H+
ion can form more than one salt; neutralisation reactions are most conveniently written as ionic
equations, in which spectator ions are omitted
• Neutralisation reactions are often used in volumetric analysis (especially titrations) to analyse acids and
bases; usually an acid is placed in the burette and added slowly to the alkali until the equivalence point
is reached; if the acid or alkali being investigated is in solid form or very concentrated, a solution of it
needs to be prepared in a volumetric flask; this solution can then be added to the burette (if it is an acid)
or pipetted into a conical flask (if it is an alkali)
• the equivalence point in titrations is usually observed by using acid-base indicators although
conductimetric titrations can also be used
CHEM 111
(b) Bronsted-Lowry and Lewis definitions
• Bronsted-Lowry acid-base theory provides a general definition of acids and bases: acid = proton donor,
base = proton acceptor; acid-base reaction = a reaction which involves the transfer of protons; Arrhenius
acids and bases are just special cases of Bronsted-Lowry reactions in which water acts as the base and
the acid respectively (HA + H2O  H3O+ + A-, B + H2O  BH+ + OH-)
• Lewis acid-base theory provides an even more general definition: acid = electron pair acceptor; base =
electron pair donor; acid-base reaction = a reaction involving the transfer of electrons
(c) Acidic, alkaline and neutral solutions
• In practice, both H+ and OH- ions coexist in all aqueous solutions due to the auto-ionisation of water;
aqueous solutions in which [H+] > [OH-] are called acidic solutions; aqueous solutions in which [OH-] >
[H+] are called alkaline solutions; aqueous solutions in which [H+] = [OH-] are called neutral solutions
• The value of [H+] is therefore taken as a measure of the acidity of a solution, often expressed as pH = -
log10[H+]; in neutral solutions [H+] = [OH-] = 1 x 10-7 moldm-3 so the pH = 7; in acidic solutions [H+] is
higher than this so pH < 7; in alkaline solutions [H+] is lower than this so pH > 7
• The expression pH = -log10[H+] can be used to calculate the pH of any solution if its [H+] is known and
vice versa; in this way the pH of strong acids can be calculated as follows: if HxA  xH+ + Ax- and the
molarity of the acid HxA is C, then [H+] = xC so pH = -log10(xC); similarly, the molarity of a strong acid
10−pH
can be deduced from its pH by applying the inverse formula: C =
x
(d) Water of crystallisation
• In solid form, many acids, bases and salts contain water within their crystal structures. The water
molecules are found in between the oppositely charged ions and are present in fixed molar proportions.
Such substances are said to be hydrated and the water in the crystal is known as water of
crystallisation.
• The water of crystallisation is separated from the chemical formula with a dot (eg CuSO4.5H2O)
CHEM 111
Lesson 7
7. Precipitation reactions
• A precipitation reaction is one in which two ions in aqueous solution combine to form an insoluble
solid; they occur when two different soluble salts are mixed – this mixing creates two new combinations
of ions, and if either combination is insoluble then a precipitation reaction will take place
• Group I and ammonium cations, and nitrate anions, form no insoluble salts and are never involved in
precipitation reactions; some other general rules for predicting precipitation are as follows:
Insoluble Soluble
carbonates (other than with Group I and All Group I and ammonium salts
ammonium cations)
Hydroxides (other than with Group I, ammonium, All nitrates
strontium and barium ions)
Silver halides (except AgF) AgF
BaSO4 and SrSO4 (and a few other sulphates) Most other sulphates
• Precipitation reactions are best represented as ionic equations, with spectator ions omitted
• Precipitation reactions can be used in quantitative analysis, either in conductimetric titrations (because
conductivity reaches a minimum) or in gravimetric analysis (the insoluble compound can be washed,
dried and weighed)
CHEM 111
Lesson 8
8. Redox reactions
• In inorganic chemistry, oxidation and reduction are usuallu defined in terms of electron transfer;
oxidation is the loss of electrons - when a species loses electrons it is said to be oxidised; reduction is the
gain of electrons - when a species gains electrons it is said to be reduced; processes which show the gain
or loss of electrons by a species are known as half-equations or half-reactions
• The oxidation number of an atom is the charge that would exist on an individual atom if the bonding
were completely ionic; in simple ions, the oxidation number of the atom is the charge on the ion; in
molecules or compounds, the sum of the oxidation numbers on the atoms is zero; in polyatomic ions, the
sum of the oxidation numbers on the atoms is equal to the overall charge on the ion; in all cases each
individual atom is allocated a charge as if the bonding was completely ionic; in elements in their
standard states, the oxidation number of each atom is zero.
• Many atoms can exist in a variety of oxidation states; the oxidation number of these atoms can be
calculated by assuming that the oxidation number of the other atom is fixed:
Atom Oxidation state in compounds or ions
Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs +1
Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba +2
Al +3
F -1
H +1 unless bonded to a metal, Si or B, in which case -1
O -2 unless bonded to a Group I or Group II metal or H, in which case
it can also exist as -1, or F, in which case it exists as +2
CHEM 111
• Oxidation numbers are used when naming compounds according to the internationally agreed IUPAC
rules:
- Binary ionic compounds are named by stating the cation followed by the anion
- Binary covalent compounds are named by stating the atom with a positive oxidation number
followed by the atom with a negative oxidation number
- Simple cations (and atoms in a positive oxidation state in binary covalent compounds) are named
using the name of the atom followed by its oxidation number in brackets and Roman numerals: (+1 =
I, +2 = II, +3 = III, +4 = IV, +5 = V, +6 = VI, +7 = VII)
- Simple anions (and atoms in a negative oxidation state in binary covalent compounds) are named by
changing the final one or two syllables of the atom to -ide
- In anions containing more than one atom, one of the atoms has a positive oxidation number and the
other has a negative oxidation number; these anions are named by changing the last one or two
syllables of the atom with a positive oxidation number to -ate, and then adding the oxidation state of
that atom in brackets and Roman numerals; the presence and number of atoms with a negative
oxidation state is indicated as a prefix with the final one or two syllables of the atom changed to -o,
preceded by the number of atoms if more than one (two = di, three = tri, four = tetra, five = penta, six
= hexa); in many cases the negative atom is oxygen and the prefix oxo- is usually omitted unless the
number of oxygen atoms is unclear
- It is common to leave out the Roman numeral if the atom has only one known oxidation number
(such as sodium or magnesium)
- In binary compounds, adding prefixes such as mono, di, tri to denote the number of atoms is
unnecessary when oxidation numbers are being used but is sometimes used as an alternative to using
oxidation numbers
• During oxidation and reduction, the oxidation numbers of atoms change; if an atom is oxidized, its
oxidation number increases (ie it becomes more +ve or less –ve); if an atom is reduced, its oxidation
number decreases (ie it becomes less +ve or more –ve)
CHEM 111
• Many oxidation and reduction processes involve polyatomic ions or molecules; the half-equations for
these processes are more complex and are pH dependent, so can be written either using H+ (if the
conditions are acidic) or OH- (if the conditions are alkali); there are two ways to construct balanced half-
equations:
Method 1:
- Identify the atom being oxidised or reduced, and make sure there are the same number of that atom
on both sides (by balancing)
- Insert the number of electrons being gained or lost (on the left if reduction, on the right if oxidation)
using the equation: No of electrons gained/lost = change in oxidation number x number of atoms
changing oxidation number
- balance O atoms by adding water
- balance H atoms by adding H+
Method 2 (easier in more complex reactions):
- Identify the atom being oxidised or reduced, and make sure there are the same number of that atom
on both sides (by balancing)
- balance O atoms by adding water
- balance H atoms by adding H+
- add the necessary number of electrons to ensure the charge on both sides is the same
Both of the above methods give you equations for acidic conditions; to convert into alkaline conditions,
add OH- ions to both sides of the equation so that the number of OH- and H+ ions on one side are equal,
then convert each pair into a water molecule and cancel out water molecules until they only appear on
one side
• Half-equations consider gain and loss of electrons, but in fact electrons cannot be created or destroyed;
they can only be transferred from species to species; gain of electrons by one species necessarily
involves loss of electrons by another; oxidation and reduction thus always occur simultaneously; an
oxidation is always accompanied by a reduction and vice versa; any reaction consisting of the oxidation
of one species and the reduction of another is known as a redox reaction
• A redox reaction can be derived by combining an oxidation half-equation with a reduction half-equation
in such a way that the total number of electrons gained is equal to the total number of electrons lost
• In redox reactions, the species which is reduced is accepting electrons from the other species and thus
causing it to be oxidised; it is thus an oxidising agent; the species which is oxidised is donating
electrons to another species and thus causing it to be reduced. It is thus a reducing agent; a redox
reaction can thus be described as a transfer of electrons from a reducing agent to an oxidising agent
• There are many substances which readily undergo both oxidation and reduction, and which can therefore
behave as both oxidising agents and reducing agents; species such as these are capable of undergoing
oxidation and reduction simultaneously; the simultaneous oxidation and reduction of the same species is
known as disproportionation; a disproportionation reaction is a type of redox reaction
CHEM 111
Lesson 9
9. Volumetric Analysis
• Volumetric analysis is the quantitative investigation of a solution using one or more measurements of
volume
• The most common type of volumetric analysis is titration; during a titration, the
volume of one solution required to react completely with another is measured; in
most cases one solution is added gradually from a burette into another solution in a
conical flask until the equivalence point is reached; the equivalence point of a
titration is the point at which the volume of solution added from the burette is just
enough to react completely with the solution in the conical flask.
• The phrase “solution A is titrated against solution B” means that a known volume of
solution A should be placed in a conical flask and solution B placed in a burette;
solution B should be added to solution A until the equivalence point is reached.
• The main purpose of titrations is to determine the concentration of a solution; this is known as
standardisation. A solution whose concentration is known accurately is known as a standard solution;
concentration can be expressed as molarity, mass concentration or normality
Molarity: moles of solute per dm3 of solution (moldm-3)
Mass concentration: mass of solute per dm3 of solution (gdm-3)
Normality: equivalents of solute per dm3 of solution (Eqdm-3)
Once one solution has been standardised, it can be used to standardise the solution it is reacting with.
• Titrations can also be used to determine the molar mass or percentage purity of a solid, if it is soluble in
water; a standard solution of the substance should be prepared first, using a volumetric flask
• The main apparatus used in titrations are pipettes, burettes and conical flasks; volumetric flasks are also
used if a standard solution needs to be prepared from a solid or from a concentrated solution
pipette burette volumetric flask
CHEM 111
• A pipette is an apparatus used to deliver a known volume of solution accurately into another container;
most pipettes have a single graduation mark and can therefore only be used to deliver a fixed volume of
solution (usually 5 cm3, 10 cm3 or 25 cm3)
• A burette is an apparatus used to deliver a variable quantity of solution accurately into another container;
the burette most widely used in laboratory chemistry can deliver volumes of up to 50 cm3
• A volumetric flask is in apparatus designed to contain a specific amount of solution, usually 250 cm3; it is
used to prepare standard solutions from solids (by dissolving) or from concentrated solutions (by dilution)
• Titrations can be used in all three of the main types of inorganic reaction:
(a) Acid-base reactions
(b) Precipitation reactions
(c) Redox reactions
The equivalence point needs to be clearly visible; in most cases, a suitable indicator is added to the conical
flask, although some redox reactions are auto-indicating
(a) Acid-Base Titrations
• Most acids and bases are colourless; an indicator is therefore required to identify the equivalence point;
during acid-base titrations, a large and sudden change in pH occurs at the equivalence point and this point
can therefore be identified by using an indicator which changes colour over the same pH range
• The indicators most frequently used in titrations are methyl orange and phenolphthalein; each indicator has
a characteristic end-point (equal to its pKIn value) which is the pH at which the indicator changes colour,
most indicators change colour over a pH range approximately equal to pKIn ± 1
Indicator end-point pH range of Colour in Colour in suitability

(pKIn) colour change acid alkali
Methyl orange 3.7 3.1 – 4.4 Pink yellow Strong acids only
Phenolphthalein 9.3 8.3 – 10.0 Colourless pink Strong bases only
CHEM 111
(b) Precipitation Titrations
• Precipitation titrations are very useful for the determination of chloride ions in solution; chloride ions react
with silver ions to give the very insoluble precipitate of AgCl: Ag+(aq) + Cl-(aq)  AgCl(s); in most cases
the solution containing chloride ions is titrated against a solution of silver nitrate (AgNO3) until all of the Cl-
has precipitated as AgCl
• The equivalence point of this reaction can be observed in two ways:

(i) The Mohr method: a small quantity of potassium chromate (K2CrO4) is added to the conical flask as
an indicator; the CrO42- ions in the solution form a red precipitate with Ag+ ions (Ag2CrO4); but
because AgCl is less soluble than Ag2CrO4, AgCl precipitates first and the red precipitate of
Ag2CrO4 is only observed when there are no Cl- ions remaining in solution
(ii) The Fajans method: dichlorofluorescin is an organic compound which changes its colour to violet
when it binds to Ag+ ions, but since Ag+ will instantly precipitate with Cl- until there are no Cl- ions
remaining, the violet colour is only observed after the equivalence point; the violet colour is easier to
see if starch is also added
(c) Redox Titrations
• Redox reactions can be used in quantitative analysis (especially titrations) to analyse oxidising and reducing
agents:
(i) Reducing agents can be analysed by acidifying them and then titrating them against a standard
solution of KMnO4, which behaves as an oxidising agent as follows: MnO4- + 8H+ + 5e-  Mn2+
+ 4H2O; the purple MnO4- is decolorised as it is added to the reducing agent until the reducing
agent has been fully oxidised; any excess MnO4- will then turn the solution pink and this can be
used to identify the equivalence point
(ii) Oxidising agents are generally analysed by reacting them with an excess of aqueous potassium
iodide (KI); the iodide ion is oxidised to iodine as follows: 2I-  I2 + 2e-; the resulting iodine is
then titrated against a standard solution of sodium thiosuphate (S2O32- + I2  S4O62- + 2I-) using
starch indicator, which turns blue/black in the presence of excess iodine and hence disappears
when the iodine has all been used up, which allows the equivalence point to be determined
CHEM 111
Lesson 10
10. Normality and Equivalent Weights
• It is sometimes helpful to count elements and compounds in terms of “equivalents” rather than moles,
especially during acid-base or redox reactions; one equivalent weight is the mass of substance required
to completely react with 1 mole of H+ or OH- ions, or to gain or lose one mole of electrons
• For elements, the equivalent weight is the molar mass divided by the valency:
Eg the equivalent weight of O is 8.0 g; the equivalent weight of H is 1.0 g
• For monoprotic acids this is equal to the molar mass; for diprotic acids such as H2SO4 it is equal to 0.5
of the molar mass; for compounds and ions involved in redox reactions it is the molar mass divided by
the number of electrons gained or lost
• In some cases the concentration of aqueous solutions is expressed in terms of normality (equivalent
weights per dm3) rather than molarity (moldm-3); for example 1 N H2SO4 = 0.5 M H2SO4
11. Principles of Scientific Enquiry
• Scientific enquiry is a continuously repeating (iterative) process of developing and testing theories
through the collection of experimental data (observation and measurement)
CHEM 111
• The process of scientific enquiry can be summarised as follows:

- observations are made about the natural world
- attempts to explain these observations lead to the development of a hypothesis
- the hypothesis leads to predictions which can be tested empirically (by observation)
- based on the results of these tests, the original hypothesis may require refinement, alteration, expansion
or even rejection
- if a particular hypothesis becomes very well supported, a general theory or law may be developed, via a
process of induction
• A Law is a descriptive principle of nature which holds in all circumstances covered by the wording of
the law (it is experimental); a theory is a description of nature which encompasses more than one law
• A hypothesis is a law or theory which is not sufficiently supported to be considered universally true; a
hypothesis may become a theory or law if it is repeatedly and extensively tested and supported by
observations
• Inductive reasoning is a method of reasoning in which the evidence provides strong evidence for the
truth of a conclusion, meaning that the truth of the conclusion is probable but not certain; in science it is
the process of converting a series of particular observations into a general law or theorem
• Deduction is the process of arriving at a conclusion by logic
• A theorem is a statement that has been proved on the basis of previously established statements (it is
deductive)
• Most scientific breakthroughs result from serendipity: an unsought and unexpected, but fortunate,
observation
12. Molality
• Molality is the concentration of a solution expressed in moles of solute per kilogram of solvent; for
aqueous solutions it is usually very similar to molarity
CHEM 111
UNIT 2 – CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIA

Lesson 1
1. Principles of Chemical Equilibrium
• Reversible reactions are indicated by the sign ; a reversible reaction is one in which the
reverse reaction is able to take place to a significant extent
• Consider a reversible reaction A + B C + D; initially the rate of the reverse reaction is zero as
the concentration of products is zero; as the reaction proceeds, the rate of the forward reaction decreases
and the rate of the reverse reaction increases; eventually, the reaction will reach a stage where both
forward and backward reactions are proceeding at the same rate; at this stage a dynamic equilibrium has
been reached; the forward and reverse reactions are proceeding at the same rate and so there is no further
change in the concentration of reactants and products:
• All reactions are reversible in theory; in some cases the reverse reaction is insignificant; in others, it is
not allowed to take place because the product is removed as soon as it is formed; this is often the case in
open systems, so dynamic chemical equilibria are most commonly found in closed systems
CHEM 111
2. Equilibrium Constants
(a) Equilibrium constants at constant volume (Kc)
• If the following reaction: wA + xB yC + Zd, the relative concentrations of reactants and products
in the system can be given by:
[C]y [D]z
= Kc
[A]w [B]x
Kc is a constant for a given equation at a given temperature and is known as the equilibrium constant
of the reaction; if Kc and the initial amount of each reactant is known, the equilibrium concentration of
each reactant and product can be calculated and vice versa, provided that the reaction is taking place at
constant volume
• Kc does depend on the stoichiometric coefficients; if the equation n(wA + xB yC + Zd) were
used, the equilibrium constant for the reaction K c = (Kc) ; in addition, Kc for the reverse reaction (Krc)
1 n
and the forward reaction (Kfc) are related as follows: (Krc) = (Kfc)-1
• The units of the equilibrium constant vary, depending on the relative number of reactant and product
species in the equation number of species involved; in general the units can be given by (moldm-3)Δn,
where Δn is the change in the total number of species during the reaction
CHEM 111
Lesson 2
(b) Equilibrium constants at constant pressure (Kp)
• In some cases, reactions take place at constant pressure, rather than at constant volume; in such cases the
equilibrium constant at constant pressure (Kp) should be used instead:
y
p pz nA
- Kp = pwc pDx where pA = partial pressure of A = P, where P is the total pressure and nT is the total
A B nT
number of moles
n y z
n
( C P) ( D P) nT RT
nT nT
- So Kp = n
w x but P = from the ideal gas equation (R = molar gas constant, T =
n
( A P) ( B P) V
nT nT
temperature)
n y n z
( C RT) ( D RT) [C]y [D]z
- So Kp = V
nA
V
w n x = [A]w [B]x RT (𝑦+𝑧−𝑤−𝑥) = K c RT(y+z-w-x)
( RT) ( B RT)
V V
- y + z - x – y is the total change in the number of particles during the reaction, or Δn
- so Kp = KcRTΔn
• If Kc or Kp is close to 1, it means that the position of equilibrium lies close to the middle of the reaction,
which means that the equilibrium mixture contains similar quantities of reactants and products; if Kc or
Kp >> 1, it means that the position of equilibrium lies to the right of the reaction, which means that the
equilibrium mixture contains significantly more products than reactants; if Kc or Kp << 1, it means that
the position of equilibrium lies to the left of the reaction, which means that the equilibrium mixture
contains significantly more reactants than products
(c) Reaction Quotients
• If Kc or Kp is close to 1, it means that the position of equilibrium lies close to the middle of the reaction,
which means that the equilibrium mixture contains similar quantities of reactants and products; if Kc or
Kp >> 1, it means that the position of equilibrium lies to the right of the reaction, which means that the
equilibrium mixture contains significantly more products than reactants; if Kc or Kp << 1, it means that
the position of equilibrium lies to the left of the reaction, which means that the equilibrium mixture
contains significantly more reactants than products
y
[C]y [D]z p pz
• For reactions which are not at equilibrium, the value of [A]w [B]x or pwc pDx is called the reaction quotient Qc
A B
or Qp
• If Q < K, Q needs to increase before equilibrium is reached and the reaction will move to the right to
reach equilibrium; if Q > K, Q needs to decrease before equilibrium is reached and the reaction will
move to the left to reach equilibrium
CHEM 111
Lesson 3
3. Le Chatelier’s Principle
• If the conditions are changed after equilibrium has been established, the system may no longer be at
equilbrium and may move in one direction or another to re-establish equilibrium; the direction in which
the system will move to re-establish equilibrium can be predicted by Le Chatelier's principle: "If a
constraint is imposed on a system at equilibrium, then the system will respond in such a way as to
counteract the effect of that constraint"; such constraints can be the addition or removal of one of the
reactants or products, a change in pressure, a change in temperature or the addition of a catalyst.
• If a reactant or product is added to or removed from a system at equilibrium, the system will no longer
be at equilibrium and the concentrations will change until equilibrium is restored; Le Chatelier's
principle predicts that if a reactant's concentration in a system is increased, the system will move to the
right in order to decrease the concentration of that reactant, and vice versa; this can also be deduced by
considering the effect on the reaction quotient Q of adding or removing a species; at equilibrium, K = Q,
but if a change is then made which increases Q, the reaction will move to the left until Q has decreased
back to the value of K, but if but if a change is then made which decreases Q, the reaction will move to
the right until Q has increased back to the value of K
• If the pressure is changed when a system is at equilibrium, the system may no longer be at equilibrium
and the concentrations will change until equilibrium is restored; Le Chatelier's principle predicts that if
the pressure in a system is increased, the system will move to decrease the pressure by moving in
whichever direction reduces the total number of gas molecules, and vice versa; this can also be deduced
by considering the effect on the reaction quotient Q of changing the pressure; if V in the Kc term is
replaced by nRT/P, then P will appear in the equilibrium expression as PΔn, so an increase in pressure
will increase Q if Δn is positive and decrease Q if Δn is negative; the reaction will respond accordingly
• If the temperature is changed when a system is at equilibrium, the system may no longer be at
equilibrium and the concentrations will change until equilibrium is restored; if the forward reaction is
exothermic, then the temperature of the system will rise if the forward reaction takes place; the reverse
reaction will therefore be endothermic, and the temperature of the system will fall if the reverse reaction
takes place; Le Chatelier's principle therefore predicts that an increase in temperature will favour the
endothermic reaction, and that a decrease in temperature will favour the exothermic reaction; if the
forward reaction is exothermic, then an increase in temperature will cause the system to shift to the left,
and a decrease in temperature will cause the system to shift to the right, and vice versa; changes in Q
cannot be used to predict the effect of a change in temperature because K itself varies with temperature
• The addition of a catalyst will have no effect on the position of equilibrium; it will increase the rate of
the forward and reverse reactions, but by the same amount. The position of equilibrium will thus be
unchanged
CHEM 111
Lesson 4
4. Heterogeneous Equilibria
• A heterogeneous equilibrium is one in which the reactants and products are not all in the same phase;
this can be a gaseous mixture with some solid or liquid species, or an aqueous or liquid mixture with
some solid species
• In aqueous and liquid equilibria, the concentration terms for solids can be considered to be independent
of the quantity of solid present; they can therefore included in the value of the equilibrium constant and
are not included in the equilibrium expression
• This is significant when considering the solubility of sparingly soluble ionic compounds, which set up
an equilibrium with the aqueous solution as follows: AxBy(s)  xAm+(aq) + yBn-(aq); the equilibrium
constant for such an equilibrium system would be given by Ksp = [Am+]2[Bn-]y; Ksp is known as the
solubility product of the compound; this can be used to predict the solubility of different ionic
compounds under different circumstances
• It can be concluded from the Ksp expression that the solubility of a compound in aqueous solution will
be significantly reduced if one or other of the ions is already present in solution; this is known as the
common ion effect
• In gaseous equilibria, the concentration terms for both solids and gases can be considered to be
independent of the quantity of those substances present; they can therefore included in the value of the
equilibrium constant and are not included in the equilibrium expression; the Kp expression for
heterogeneous reactions should therefore include the partial pressures of the gaseous terms only
CHEM 111
Lesson 5
5. Acid-base equilibria
(a) Bronsted-Lowry theory
• Bronsted-Lowry definition for acids and bases is the most useful one for considering reversible reactions
between acids and bases; an acid is a substance which can behave as a proton (H+) donor - any species
containing H attached to an electronegative atom can behave as an acid; HA H+ + A-; a base is a
substance which can behave as a proton acceptor; any species which has a lone pair of electrons can
thus behave as a base; B + H+ BH+
• The species formed when an acid gives up a proton can accept a proton and thus behave as a base, and
the species formed when a base accepts a proton can give up a proton and behave as an acid:
H+ + A- HA; BH+ B + H+
HA and A , and BH and B, are conjugate acid-base pairs; HA and BH+ are the conjugate acids of A-
- +
and B respectively; A- and B are the conjugate bases of HA and BH+ respectively; thus every acid-base
reaction can be considered to reach an equilibrium with one acid and one base on each side; and the
conjugate acids and bases on the other side: HA + B + A- + BH+
• Not all acids are equally good proton donors; in fact some give up their protons very reluctantly;
conversely, some bases accept protons readily whereas others accept protons very reluctantly; acids and
bases can be classified as strong or weak based on their ability to donate and accept protons
respectively; the stronger the acid, the weaker its conjugate base and vice versa
• Most common acid-base reactions take place in aqueous solution, and thus acids and bases are generally
defined by the way in which they react with water; the Arrhenius definition of acids and bases can be
considered a special case of the Bronsted-Lowry definition – when Arrhenius acids react with water,
water behaves as a base; when Arrhenius bases react with water, water behaves as an acid:
HA + H2O H3O+ + A-; B + H2O BH+ + OH-
In strong acids and bases, this dissociation is complete; in weak acids and bases, this dissociation is
partial; the dissociation of Arrhenius acids in water is often simplified to HA H+ + A-;
• Water is an example of a species which can behave as an acid and a base; such species are said to be
amphoteric; amphoteric species have a conjugate acid and a conjugate base and can undergo acid base
reactions with themselves: AH + AH A- + AH2+
Water reacts with itself as follows: 2H2O H3O+ + OH-; this is known as the auto-ionisation of
water and is a feature of every aqueous solution, including pure water
CHEM 111
(b) Auto-ionisation of water
[H3 O+ ][OH− ]
• The equilibrium constant for this dissociation can be written as follows: Kc = [H2 O]2
; the
concentration of water in aqueous solution (55 moldm-3) is not changed significantly by this
dissociation, since the proportion of water which dissociates into its ions is small; the water
concentration can thus be assumed to be constant and it can be incorporated into Kc as follows:
Kc[H2O] = Kw = [H3O+][OH-]
This expression is known as the ionic product of water and has a value of 1.0 x 10-14 mol2dm-6 at 25oC;
this value is a constant at a given temperature; the ionic product of water is slightly higher at higher
temperatures, suggesting that the dissociation is endothermic; [H3O+] is often simplified to [H+]
• The pH of pure water can be calculated from this expression:

in pure water [H+] = [OH-] so Kw = [H+][OH-] = [H+]2 so [H+] = √Kw = 1 x 10-7 moldm-3 and pH = 7.0
• The value of Kw can be used to calculate [OH-] if [H+] is known, and the value of [H+], and hence the
pH, if [OH-] is known; this can be used to calculate the pH of strong bases
CHEM 111
Lesson 6
(c) Dissociation constants for weak acids and bases
• Weak acids dissociate partially in water and reach an equilibrium as follows:

HA(aq) H+(aq) + A-(aq)
C(1-x) xC xC x = degree of dissociation
[H+ ][A− ]
The equilibrium expression for the dissociation of a weak acid is as follows: Ka = [HA]
Ka is known as the acid dissociation constant for the acid and has units of moldm-3; it is often quoted as
pKa = -log10Ka; the larger the Ka, the greater the degree to which the acid dissociates into its ions and the
stronger the acid
• The pH of weak acids can be calculated if the Ka and molarity of the acid are known; the calculation can
be simplified by ignoring the auto-ionisation of water, and hence assuming that all of the H+ has come
[H+ ]2
from the acid; this means that Ka = ; the calculation can be further simplified by assuming that x is
[HA]
small and hence C(1-x) ≈ C; substituting C and xC into the Ka expression gives Ka = x2C; therefore x =
K
√ Ca; note that x decreases as C increases – this is consistent with Le Chatelier’s principle;
K
[H+] = xC = C√ Ca = √K a C; this expression means that if any two of [H+], Ka and C are known, the other
can be calculated, as well as the pH; these calculations can be done without making the C(1-x) ≈ C
approximation but it is then necessary to solve a quadratic; this is necessary if x is appreciable
• Weak bases can be analysed in a very similar way:

[BH+ ][OH− ]
B(aq) + H2O(l) BH+(aq) + OH-(aq); Kc = [B][H2 O]
but because [H2O] is constant in
[BH+ ][OH− ]
aqueous solutions, this can be simplified to: Kb = [B]
Kb
[OH ] = xC = C√ C = √K b C; this expression means that if any two of [OH-], Kb and C are known, the
-
other can be calculated, as well as the pH
CHEM 111
Lesson 7
(d) Salt hydrolysis
• The Ka of a weak acid can be directly related to the Kb of its conjugate base by considering the
[H+ ][A− ]
following equations: HA H+ + A- and Ka = [HA]
[HA][OH− ] [HA]K Kw
-
A + H2 O -
HA + OH and Kb = [A− ]
= [A−][Hw
+]
= Ka
This means that if the Ka of weak acid is known, Kb of its conjugate base can be deduced and vice versa
• Salts are composed of the conjugate acid and base of the base and acid which were neutralised to make
them
- Salts which are made from strong acids and strong bases have no significant acid-base properties of
their own; this is because the Ka and Kb values of the strong acid and the strong base respectively are
so high that the Ka and Kb values of the conjugate acid and base respectively extremely small and
can be ignored; such salts can be considered neutral
- If a salt is made from a weak acid; the conjugate base of the weak acid will have a Kb value
sufficiently large to cause a significant reaction with water; such salts are alkaline and have pH
values greater than 7; similarly is the salt is made from a weak base, the conjugate acid of the weak
base will have a Ka value sufficiently large to cause a significant reaction with water; such salts are
acidic and have pH values lower than 7; the tendency of cations or anions in salts to react with water
resulting in acidic or alkaline solutions is known as salt hydrolysis; in salts of weak acids and weak
bases, both cation and anion will hydrolyse; the resulting pH of the solution will depend on the
relative magnitude of Ka and Kb of the cation and the anion in the salt
(e) Very dilute solutions
• In all the calculations considered so far, the H3O+ present due to the auto-ionisation of water has been
ignored. This is normally a reasonable assumption, since water only ionises very slightly ([H+]= 1 x 10-7
moldm-3 in pure water); in very dilute solutions, however, the H+ present due to the auto-ionisation of
water is significant and cannot be ignored; in strong acids and bases it is relatively easy to calculate the
effect of the dissociation of water: consider a strong acid of molarity C, which will dissociate to give H+
ions of concentration C; consider also the dissociation of water to give [H+] = [OH-] = x
In total, [H+] = C + x and [OH-] = x, so [H+][OH-] = Kw = x(C + x), so x2 + Cx – Kw = 0
√(C2 +4Kw) −C
So x = ; if C is significant, C2 + 4Kw ≈ C2 and x ≈ 0; if C = 0, x = √Kw; if C is small but not
2
0, x can be calculated and the pH calculated from [H+] = C + x
CHEM 111
(f) Polyprotic acids and bases
• Some acids are capable of donating more than one proton and some bases are capable of accepting more
than one proton; these are known as polyprotic acids and bases respectively:
HxA xH+ + Ax- B + xH+ BHx+
- In such acids and bases, each successive dissociation will have its own Ka or Kb value:
HxA H+ + Hx-1A- Ka1
- + 2-
Hx-1A H + Hx-2A Ka2, etc (analogous equilibria exist for polyprotic bases)
Ka1 is always greater than Ka2, which is always greater than Ka3; furthermore, the dissociations are
not independent of each other but the H+ from the first dissociation suppresses the subsequent
dissociations, so in many cases only the first dissociation is significant; an analogous situation
occurs in polyprotic bases
- Polyprotic acids and bases form more than one salt, depending on how many protons have been
accepted or lost; salts formed from the partial neutralisation of polyprotic acids are called acid salts;
they still have available protons and their own Ka value (Ka2 or Ka3); they will also have a Kb value
resulting from the Ka1 or Ka2 of their conjugate acid; they are thus amphoteric and will set up a
variety of equilibria in water; their net behaviour will depend on the relative magnitude of Ka and
Kb; salts formed from the partial neutralisation of polyprotic bases are called base salts; they will
have their own Kb value but also a Ka value resulting from the Kb of the conjugate base; salts formed
from the complete neutralisation of polyprotic acids will be polybasic and vice versa; most salts
formed from polyprotic acids and bases are likely to undergo some form of salt hydrolysis
- Polyprotic acids, bases and their salts form several equilibria simultaneously with water and their pH
calculations are complex
CHEM 111
Lesson 8
(g) Buffer Solutions
• A buffer solution is a solution which can resist changes in pH on addition of small quantities of acid or
alkali or on dilution; buffer solutions are a mixture of a weak acid and a weak base; the weak acid
neutralises any OH- added and the weak base neutralises any H+, but the acid and the base must both be
sufficiently weak not to react significantly with each other; most buffer solutions are mixtures of weak
acids and their conjugate bases (HA and A-) or weak bases and their conjugate acids (B and BH+); these
mixtures are easy to analyse because they only form a single equilibrium
• Buffer solutions form the following equilibrium in water: HA H+ + A-

[H+ ][A− ] Ka [HA] [A− ]
- Ka = , [H+] = [A− ]
, pH = pKa + log[HA] (Henderson-Hasselbalch equation)
[HA]
[BH+ ][OH− ] K [B]
b [BH+ ] [BH+ ]
- For basic buffers, Kb = [B]
, [OH-] = [BH + ], pOH = pKb + log so pH = pKw - pKb - log
[B] [B]
- unlike in weak acids, both [HA] and [A-] are similar and much larger than [H+]; the simplification
[H+][A-] = [H+]2 therefore no longer applies, the same is true with [B] and [BH+] in basic buffers
• The reaction is therefore able to proceed in both directions to a significant extent; on addition of H+, the
reaction moves left to reduce [H+], [HA] will increase slightly and [A-] will decrease slightly, causing
only a slight decrease in pH; the addition of OH- removes H+ so the reaction moves right to replace H+,
[HA] will decrease slightly and [A-] will increase slightly, causing only a slight increase in pH
- this works until the amount of H+ added exceeds the amount of A- present, or the amount of OH- added
exceeds the amount of HA present, in which case the buffering capacity of the solution has been
exceeded and the solution is no longer able to behave as a buffer
- basic buffers work in a very similar way
[A− ]
• On dilution, the pH does not change significantly because the ratio [HA] does not change; both A- and
HA dissociate more to compensate for the dilution
• A buffer does not have to a mixture of a weak acid and its conjugate base; any mixture of a weak acid
and a weak base will have the same effect; any amphoteric substance with significant values of both Ka
and Kb can behave as a buffer
• Buffers are extremely useful whenever the pH needs to be kept within certain limits, as is the case with
many biochemical processes; blood is buffered within pH limits of 6.8 – 7.4 by a mixture of dissolved
CO2 (H2CO3) and its conjugate base HCO3-; the precise pH can be set by choosing an acid with a pKa
value close to the desired pH and mixing it with its conjugate base in the ratio required to achieve the
required pH
• Buffer solutions can be prepared either by mixing the weak acid with the weak base, or by partial
neutralisation of the weak acid or base
CHEM 111
Lesson 9
(h) Titrations and Indicators
• During titrations between acids and alkalis, the pH of the solution changes very sharply within two drops
on either side of the equivalence point as the solution changes from acidic to alkaline (or vice versa); the
equivalence point of the titration is the mid-point of the steep section of the titration curve
• The pH of the mixture can be calculated at any point during a titration; how this is done depends on
whether the acid and base are strong or weak:
- If both acid and alkali are strong, then the pH can be deduced by considering the number of moles of H+
or OH- remaining, assuming that they react completely until one runs out; this method should also be
used when a strong acid or base is in excess
- If a strong acid is added to a weak base, or a strong base is added to a weak acid, so that the weak base
or weak acid are in excess and therefore only partially neutralised, a buffer solution is established and its
pH can be calculated by considering the relative amounts of HA and A- (or B and BH+) in the mixture; a
particularly useful situation occurs at half-neutralisation, when [HA] = [A-] and therefore pH = pKa; this
means that the pKa of the acid can be directly read from the pH titration curve
- The pH at the equivalence point can be deduced from consideration of any salt hydrolysis taking place
- Weak acid-weak base titrations result in multiple equilibria existing simultaneously and are not easily
analysed
• The titration curves for all the different possible titrations can be sketched on the same graph as follows:
Type of titration pH at equivalence point pH change at equivalence

point
Strong acid - strong base 7.0 4 to 10
Weak acid - strong base Approx 8.5 7 to 10
Strong acid - weak base Approx 5.5 4 to 7
Weak acid - weak base Approx 7 No sudden change
- The pH and the pH changes at the equivalence point are guidelines only; for strong acids and strong
bases, the pH depends on the molarities; for weak acids and weak bases, the pH depends on the
molarities and the dissociation constants
CHEM 111
• An acid-base indicator is a weak acid which dissociates to give an anion of a different colour; consider a
weak acid HIn: HIn(aq) + H2O(l) H3O+(aq) + In-(aq)
Colour 1 Colour 2
HIn and its conjugate base In- are different colours; the colour of the indicator depends on the relative
concentrations of the two species, which in turn depends on the pH; if the solution is strongly acidic, the
above equilibrium will be shifted to the left and HIn (colour 1) will dominate; if the solution is strongly
alkaline, the above equilibrium will shift to the right and In- (colour 2) will dominate
• The pH at which HIn and In- are present in equal amounts is called the end-point of the indicator; it
depends on the indicator dissociation constant KIn as follows:
[H+ ][In− ] KIn [HIn]
KIn = so [H+] = [H+] = [In− ]
, so when [HIn] = [In-], [H+] = KIn and pH = pKIn
[HIn]
Typically, one colour will dominate the other if its concentration is more than 10 times the other, which
would happen if pH < pKIn – 1 (Colour 1) or pH > pKIn + 1 (Colour 2); in between these pH values,
when pH = pKIn ±1, an intermediate colour would appear; this serves as a general rule only; the exact
pH range over which an indicator changes colour depends on the relative intensity of the two colours
and varies from indicator to indicator
• Indicators are used in acid - alkali titrations in order to find the equivalence point of the titration; if they
are to determine the equivalence point accurately, they must undergo a complete colour change at the
equivalence point; this means that the pH range of the colour change (ie the end-point of the indicator)
must fall completely within the pH range of the equivalence point; not all indicators can therefore be
used for all titrations, and indicators must be chosen carefully so that the end-point of the indicator
matches the pH range at the equivalence point
CHEM 111
CHEM 111 PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Unit 1 – Moles, Formulae and Equations
Lesson 1
1. (a) Deduce the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in the following species:
37 -
(i) Cl
1 +
(ii) H
(iii) 45Sc3+
(b) Write symbols for the following species:
(i) 8 protons, 8 neutrons, 10 electrons
(ii) 82 protons, 126 neutrons, 80 electrons
(iii) 1 proton, 2 neutrons, 1 electron
2. (a) Define the terms relative atomic mass and relative isotopic mass; explain why 9Be and 9B have
slightly different masses
(b) Deduce the relative atomic mass of silicon to 2 decimal places, given that it has the following
isotopes: 28Si 92.21%, 29Si 4.70%, 30Si 3.09%
(c) Use the mass spectrum of zirconium below to deduce the relative atomic mass of zirconium to
1 decimal place:
(d) Most argon atoms have a mass number 40. How many neutrons does this isotope have? The
relative isotopic mass of this isotope is 39.961, but the relative atomic mass of argon is 39.948.
What can you deduce about the other isotopes of argon?
3. State and explain the five processes taking place in a mass spectrometer
CHEM 111
Lesson 2
4. (a) Classify the following substances as: A – giant ionic; B – giant metallic; C – simple molecular;
D – simple atomic; E – giant covalent
(i) silicon dioxide
(ii) ammonia
(iii) potassium
(iv) magnesium chloride
(v) chlorine
(vi) water
(vii) copper sulphate
(viii) neon
(ix) graphite
(b) Deduce the unit formula for the following compounds:
(i) sodium oxide
(ii) magnesium oxide
(iii) calcium iodide
(iv) potassium sulphide
(v) magnesium sulphate
(vi) ammonium nitrate
(vii) calcium carbonate
(viii) aluminium oxide
(ix) strontium hydroxide
(x) ammonium sulphate
(c) State the molecular formula of the following molecules:
(i) water
(ii) ammonia
(iii) carbon dioxide
(iv) carbon monoxide
(v) chlorine
(d) (i) A compound containing 85.71% C and 14.29% H has a relative molecular mass of 56.
Find its molecular formula.
(ii) Analysis of a hydrocarbon showed that 7.8 g of the hydrocarbon contained 0.6 g of
hydrogen and that the relative molecular mass was 78. Find the molecular formula of
the hydrocarbon.
(iii) An ionic compound is analysed and found to contain 48.4% oxygen, 24.3% sulphur,
21.2% nitrogen and 6.1% hydrogen. Calculate its empirical formula and deduce its unit
formula.
CHEM 111
Lesson 3
5. (a) If you have 2.5 x 1021 atoms of magnesium, how many moles of magnesium do you have?
(b) If you have 0.25 moles of carbon dioxide, how many molecules of carbon dioxide do you have?
6. (a) Deduce the relative masses of:

(i) CO2
(ii) Na2CO3
(iii) MgCl2
(iv) CH4
(v) C12H22O11
(vi) Mg(OH)2
(vii) Al2(SO4)3
(b) In each case, indicate whether your answer is a relative formula mass or a relative molecular
mass
7. (a) Calculate the number of moles present in:

(i) 2.5 g of O2
(ii) 40 cm3 of 0.2 moldm-3 HNO3
(b) Calculate the molarity and the mass concentration of an aqueous solution containing:
(i) 0.002 moles of H2SO4 in 16.5 cm3
(ii) 0.1 moles of NH3 in 50 cm3
(iii) 8 g of NaOH in 250 cm3
(c) What mass of C6H12O6 should be added to a 250 cm3 volumetric flask to make a 0.10 moldm-3
solution when the flask is filled to its mark with water?
(d) What volume of 2.0 moldm-3 hydrogen peroxide should be added to a 100 cm3 volumetric flask
to make a 0.050 moldm-3 solution when the flask is filled to its mark with water?
(e) Concentrated HCl contains 36% HCl by mass (the rest is water). What mass of concentrated
HCl should be added to a 250 cm3 volumetric flask to make a 0.10 moldm-3 solution when the
flask is filled to its mark with water?
8. (a) According to the ideal gas equation, PV = nRT (R = 8.31 Jmol-1K-1)

Use the ideal gas equation to show that the molar gas volume at room temperature (298 K)
and standard atmospheric pressure (101.3 kPa) is 24.4 dm3
(b) Assuming room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure, calculate:
(i) the number of moles in 4.88 dm3 of O2
(ii) the volume occupied by 20 g of NO2
(iii) the mass of 200 cm3 of N2
9. Deduce which sample (A, B or C) contains the most ammonia (NH3):

Sample A contains 2.0 g of NH3
Sample B contains 50 cm3 of a 2 moldm-3 aqueous solution of NH3
Sample C contains 2.8 dm3 of NH3 at room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure
CHEM 111
Lesson 4
10. (a) Deduce the apparatus errors in the following measurements:

(i) mass using a 2 dp mass balance
(ii) temperature change using a thermometer with graduation marks every 1oC
(iii) titre volume using a typical burette
(iv) volume of solution using a measuring cylinder with graduation marks every 1 cm3
(b) Deduce the percentage errors in the following measurements using the apparatus from Q11a
unless otherwise stated:
(i) A mass of 2.34 g
(ii) A temperature change 6.5 oC
(iii) A titre volume of 22.35 cm3
(iv) A volume of 25 cm3 measured using a measuring cylinder
(v) A volume of 25.0 cm3 measured using a pipette with apparatus error 0.05 cm3
(vii) A volume of 250 cm3 measured using a volumetric flask with apparatus error 0.2 cm3
(c) Arrange the seven measurements in Q11b in order of increasing accuracy (ie from least
accurate to most accurate)
(d) A student uses the measurements of 2.34 g, 6.5 oC and 25 cm3 (using the measuring cylinder)
to calculate an enthalpy change. Deduce the total percentage apparatus error in the answer.
(e) A student uses measurements of 2.34 g, 250 cm3 (using the volumetric flask), 25.0 cm3 (using
the pipette) and the titre volume of 22.35 cm3 to calculate a molar mass. Deduce the total
percentage apparatus error in the answer.
11. (a) What is the difference between accuracy and precision?

(b) Explain the range of possible values represented by the following measurements:
(i) 21 cm3
(ii) 21.0 cm3
(iii) 21.00 cm3
(c) A student gets a calculator value of 0.02576281 moldm-3 when calculating a concentration.
The measurements used in the calculation created a total apparatus error of 2.1%. Express the
concentration to a suitable number of significant figures.
CHEM 111
Lesson 5
12. Consider the combustion equation: C5H12 + 8O2  5CO2 + 6H2O

(a) How many moles of oxygen gas are required for the complete combustion of 0.2 moles of
pentane (C5H12)?
(b) How many moles of carbon dioxide are produced during the complete combustion of 0.2 moles
of pentane?
(c) How many moles of water are produced during the complete combustion of 0.2 moles of
pentane?
(d) 0.15 moles of pentane are mixed with 0.80 moles of oxygen and allowed to react completely.
(i) Which is the limiting reactant?
(ii) Which reactant is in excess and how many moles of it will be left after the reaction?
(iii) How many moles of carbon dioxide will be produced?
(iv) How many moles of water will be produced?
(v) If all reactants and products are in the gaseous state, what is the total number of gas moles
remaining after the reaction is complete?
13. 0.52 g of sodium was added to 100 cm3 of water and the following reaction took place:
2Na(s) + 2H2O(l)  2NaOH(aq) + H2(g)
Calculate:
(a) The volume of hydrogen evolved at 298 K and 100 kPa
(b) The concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution produced, assuming the volume of water
does not change.
14. 0.10 g of magnesium was dissolved in 5.0 cm3 of 2.0 moldm-3 hydrochloric acid. The following reaction takes
place: Mg(s) + 2HCl(aq)  MgCl2(aq) + H2(g)
(a) Deduce which of the two reactants is in excess.
(b) Hence calculate the volume of hydrogen gas produced (the molar gas volume under the conditions of
the experiment was 24.4 dm3)
15. Ethanol can be produced commercially either by the fermentation of glucose or by the hydration of ethene:
Fermentation: C6H12O6  2C2H6O + 2CO2
Hydration: C2H4 + H2O  C2H6O
(a) Calculate the percentage atom economy of both reactions. Suggest how the percentage atom
economy of the fermentation process could be improved.
(b) 100 g of glucose was fermented and 45 g of ethanol was obtained. Calculate the percentage yield of
ethanol in this experiment.
(c) 100 g of ethene was hydrated in excess steam and 80 g of ethanol was obtained. Calculate the
percentage yield of ethanol in this experiment.
CHEM 111
Lesson 6
16. Classify the following substances as acids, bases or salts:
(a) HCl (f) BaO
(b) Ca(OH)2 (g) H2SO4
(c) MgCO3 (h) MgCl2
(d) Na2SO4 (i) Na2CO3
(e) HNO3 (j) NH3
17. Write balanced symbol equations for the following reactions:

(a) sulphuric acid and sodium hydroxide
(b) nitric acid and calcium carbonate
(c) hydrochloric acid and magnesium oxide
(d) nitric acid and ammonia
(e) hydrochloric acid and potassium carbonate
(f) sulphuric acid and ammonia
18. (a) Give the formula of all three salts formed when H3PO4 reacts with NaOH.
(b) Give the equation for the most likely reaction when H3PO4 is mixed with NaOH in a 1:2 ratio
(c) Write an equation for the reaction occurring when aqueous carbon dioxide reacts with HCl
(i) in a 1:1 ratio
(ii) in a 1:2 ratio
(d) Write an equation for the reaction occurring when NaHCO3 reacts with:
(i) HCl
(ii) NaOH
(iii) Itself
19. Explain the meaning of the terms “strong acid”, “weak acid”, “strong base” and “weak base”. Give an
example of each, writing an equation to show how each reacts with water.
20. Explain what is meant by the terms “acidic solution”, “alkaline solution” and “neutral solution”.
21. (a) Calculate the pH of the following solutions:

(i) 0.015 moldm-3 HCl
(ii) 6.0 moldm-3 HNO3
(iii) 0.20 moldm-3 H2SO4
(iv) The mixture formed when 10 cm3 of 0.1 moldm-3 NaOH is added to 25 cm3 of 0.1
moldm-3 HCl
(b) Calculate the molarity of the following solutions:
(i) A solution of HNO3 with a pH of 2.5
(ii) A solution of H2SO4 with a pH of 0.5
22. A 25.0 cm3 sample of 0.0850 moldm–3 hydrochloric acid was placed in a beaker. Distilled water was
added until the pH of the solution was 1.25. Calculate the total volume of the solution formed..
CHEM 111
23. Succinic acid has the formula (CH2)n(COOH)2 and reacts with dilute sodium hydroxide as follows:
(CH2)n(COOH)2 + 2NaOH  (CH2)n(COONa)2 + 2H2O
2.0 g of succinic acid were dissolved in water and the solution made up to 250 cm3. This solution was
placed in a burette and 18.4 cm3 was required to neutralise 25 cm3 of 0.1 moldm-3 NaOH. Deduce the
molecular formula of the acid and hence the value of n.
24. A sample of hydrated calcium sulphate, CaSO4.xH2O, has a relative formula mass of 172. What is the
value of x?
25. A hydrated salt is found to have the empirical formula CaN2H8O10. What is its dot formula?
26. A sample of hydrated magnesium sulphate, MgSO4.xH2O, is found to contain 51.1% water. What is
the value of x?
27. 13.2 g of a sample of zinc sulphate, ZnSO4.xH2O, was strongly heated until no further change in mass
was recorded. On heating, all the water of crystallisation evaporated as follows: ZnSO4.xH2O 
ZnSO4 + xH2O.
Calculate the number of moles of water of crystallisation in the zinc sulphate sample given that 7.4 g
of solid remained after strong heating.
28. Sodium carbonate exists in hydrated form, Na2CO3.xH2O, in the solid state. 3.5 g of a sodium
carbonate sample was dissolved in water and the volume made up to 250 cm3. 25.0 cm3 of this
solution was titrated against 0.1 moldm-3 HCl and 24.5 cm3 of the acid were required. Calculate the
value of x given the equation:
Na2CO3 + 2HCl  2NaCl + CO2 + H2O
29. 25 cm3 of a sample of vinegar (CH3COOH) was pipetted into a volumetric flask and the volume was
made up to 250 cm3. This solution was placed in a burette and 13.9 cm3 were required to neutralise 25
cm3 of 0.1 moldm-3 NaOH. Calculate the molarity of the original vinegar solution and its
concentration in gdm-3, given that it reacts with NaOH in a 1:1 ratio.
30. 2.5 g of a sample of impure ethanedioic acid, H2C2O4.2H2O, was dissolved in water and the solution
made up to 250 cm3. This solution was placed in a burette and 21.3 cm3 were required to neutralise 25
cm3 of 0.1 moldm-3 NaOH. Given that ethanedioic acid reacts with NaOH in a 1:2 ratio, calculate the
percentage purity of the sample.
31. When silicon tetrachloride is added to water, the following reaction occurs:
SiCl4(l) + 2H2O(l)  SiO2(s) + 4HCl(aq)
1.2 g of impure silicon tetrachloride was dissolved in excess water, and the resulting solution was
made up to 250 cm3. A 25 cm3 portion of the solution was then titrated against 0.10 moldm-3 sodium
hydroxide, and 18.7 cm3 of the alkali were required. What was the percentage purity of the silicon
tetrachloride?
CHEM 111
Lesson 7
32. Write ionic equations for the following reactions:
(a) When aqueous magnesium chloride is added to aqueous silver nitrate, a white precipitate is
formed.
(b) When aqueous sodium hydroxide is added to aqueous aluminium sulphate, a white precipitate is
formed.
(c) When aqueous barium chloride is treated with dilute sodium sulphate, a white precipitate is
formed.
(d) A pale blue precipitate is formed on slow addition of potassium hydroxide solution to copper
(II) sulphate solution.
(e) A white precipitate is formed when dilute hydrochloric acid is added to a solution of lead (II)
nitrate.
(f) When dilute calcium chloride is mixed with sulphuric acid, a white precipitate is formed.
(g) When aqueous calcium chloride is mixed with aqueous sodium carbonate, a white precipitate is
formed.
33. Predict whether a precipitate will form when the following solutions are mixed, and if so, write the
ionic equation for the reaction occurring:
(a) ammonium chloride and sulphuric acid
(b) silver nitrate and sodium bromide
(c) barium chloride and sulphuric acid
(d) sodium chloride and copper sulphate
(e) magnesium chloride and sodium hydroxide
34. 1.25 g of a metal chloride with formula MCl3 was dissolved in water and an excess of silver nitrate
solution was added to it. The resulting precipitate was washed, dried, weighed and found to have a
mass of 3.42 g. Determine the relative atomic mass of M and hence suggest its identity.
CHEM 111
Lesson 8
35. Deduce the oxidation numbers of the following atoms:
(a) Si in SiF4 (k) O in H2O2
(b) S in H2S (l) Mn in MnO4-
(c) Pb in PbO2 (m) Cr in Cr2O72-
(d) S in H2SO4 (n) C in C2O42-
(e) N in NO3- (o) I in IO3-
(f) N in NO2- (p) S in SO2
(g) I in I2 (q) O in OF2
(h) S in S2O32- (r) Fe in Fe3O4
(i) Cl in ClO- (s) S in S4O62-
(j) Cl in ClO3- (t) C in HCN
36. Turn the following chemical changes into balanced redox reactions by writing half equations for each
change and then combining them (assume acidic conditions when the half-equation is pH-dependent)
(a) PbO2  Pb2+, Cl-  Cl2
(b) MnO4-  Mn2+, Fe2+  Fe3+
(c) S2O32-  S4O62-, I2  2I-
(d) MnO4-  Mn2+, H2O2  O2
(e) IO3-  I2, I-  I2
(f) ClO-  ClO3-, ClO-  Cl-
(g) H+  H2, OH-  O2
(h) ClO-  Cl-, I-  I2
(i) PbO2  Pb2+, SO32-  SO42-
(j) Cr2O72--  Cr3+, Fe2+  Fe3+
37. Write half-equations to show the following processes in alkaline conditions:

(a) O2 to OH-
(b) Cr3+ to CrO42-
(c) H2O2 to OH-
(d) MnO4- to MnO2
CHEM 111
Lesson 9
38. Ammonium iron (II) sulphate crystals have the following formula:
(NH4)2SO4.FeSO4.nH2O. In an experiment to determine n, 8.492g of the salt were dissolved and made
up to 250 cm3 of solution with distilled water and dilute sulphuric acid. A 25 cm3 portion of the
solution was further acidified and titrated against potassium manganate (VII) solution of concentration
0.0150 moldm-3. A volume of 22.5 cm3 was required. Determine n.
39. A solution of hydrogen peroxide of volume 25 cm3 was diluted to 500 cm3. A 25.0 cm3 portion of the
diluted solution was acidified and titrated against 0.0150 moldm-3 potassium permanganate solution,
and 45.7 cm3 were required. Calculate the concentration of the original hydrogen peroxide solution
before dilution, given that hydrogen peroxide is oxidized according to the following equation:
H2O2(aq)  2H+(aq) + O2(g) + 2e
40. The ethanedioate ion, C2O42-(aq) is a reducing agent: C2O42-(aq)  2CO2(g) + 2e

A sample of ethanedioic acid, H2C2O4.xH2O, weighing 2.24 g was dissolved in water and the solution
made up to 250 cm3. 25 cm3 samples of the solution were taken and the ethanedioate in the solution
required 35.6 cm3 of 0.020M potassium manganate (VII) for reaction.
Calculate the value of x.
41. 25.0 cm3 of a 0.1 moldm-3 solution of KNO2 is completely oxidized by 50.0 cm3 of 0.0200 moldm-3
potassium manganate (VII) solution. To what oxidation number was the N oxidized?
42. The active ingredient in bleach is sodium chlorate (I). It can be reduced by iodide ions to make iodine:
ClO- + 2H+ + 2I-  Cl- + I2 + H2O
In an experiment to determine the concentration of sodium chlorate (I) in a bleach, 5 cm3 of the bleach
was pipetted into a volumetric flask and made up to 250 cm3.
25 cm3 portions of this solution were then added to a conical flask and an excess of potassium iodide
was then added. The resulting solution was titrated against 0.1 moldm-3 sodium thiosulphate, and 22.3
cm3 was required.
(a) Write an equation for the reaction between sodium thiosulphate and iodine
(b) Hence determine the concentration of sodium chlorate (I) in the original bleach sample
43. In an experiment to determine the percentage by mass of copper in a 1 pence coin weighing 1.24 g, the
coin was completely dissolved in concentrated nitric acid until all of the copper had been oxidised to
copper (II) ions. The excess nitric acid was then neutralised and the volume made up to 250 cm3 in a
volumetric flask. 25 cm3 portions of this solution were then added to a conical flask and an excess of
potassium iodide was then added. Cu2+ ions react with iodide ions as follows:
2Cu2+ + 4I-  2CuI + I2
The resulting solution was titrated against 0.1 moldm-3 sodium thiosulphate, and 18.4 cm3 was
required. Determine the percentage of copper in the coin.
44. Potassium iodate (V), KIO3, reacts with iodide ions to produce iodine as follows:
IO3- + 6H+ + 5I-  3I2 + 3H2O
0.75 g of an impure sample of KIO3 was dissolved in water and made up to 250 cm3 in a volumetric
flask. 25 cm3 portions of this solution were then added to a conical flask and an excess of potassium
iodide and dilute sulphuric acid were then added. The resulting solution was titrated against 0.1
moldm-3 sodium thiosulphate, and 17.1 cm3 was required. Determine the percentage purity of the
sample of potassium iodate (V).
CHEM 111
Lesson 10
45. (a) Deduce the equivalent weight of the following elements:
(i) Copper
(ii) Aluminium
(iii) Chlorine
(b) Calculate the normality of the following solutions:
(i) 0.02 moldm-3 KMnO4
(ii) 0.05 moldm-3 Ca(OH)2
(iii) 0.10 moldm-3 H2SO4
46. A solution of sodium chloride of molarity 5.0 moldm-3 is found to have a density of 1.186 gcm-3.
Calculate the molality of the solution.
47. (q) Describe briefly the cycle of scientific enquiry.

(b) Explain the difference between a hypothesis and a law.
(c) Explain the difference between a law and a theory.
(d) Explain the difference between a theorem and a theory.
(e) Explain the difference between induction and deduction.
(f) Explain what is meant by the term serendipity.
CHEM 111
Unit 2 – Chemical Equilibrium
Kc and Le Chatelier’s principle

1. The reaction for the formation of hydrogen iodide does not go to completion but reaches an
equilibrium: H2(g) + I2(g) == 2HI(g)
A mixture of 1.9 mol of H2 and 1.9 mol of I2 was prepared and allowed to reach equilibrium in a closed
vessel on 250 cm3 capacity. The resulting equilibrium mixture was found to contain 3.0 mol of HI.
Calculate the value of Kc.
2. Consider the equilibrium: N2O4(g) == 2NO2(g).

1 mol of dinitrogen tetroxide, N2O4, was introduced into a vessel of volume 10 dm3. At equilibrium
50% had dissociated. Calculate Kc for the reaction.
3. In an experiment, 9.0 moles of nitrogen and 27 moles of hydrogen were placed into a vessel of volume
10 dm3 and allowed to reach equilibrium. It was found that two thirds of the nitrogen and hydrogen
were converted into ammonia. Calculate Kc for the reaction.
N2(g) + 3H2(g) == 2NH3(g)
4. Hydrogen chloride can be oxidised to chlorine by the Deacon process:

4HCl(g) + O2(g) == 2Cl2(g) + 2H2O(g)
0.800 mol of hydrogen chloride was mixed with 0.200 mol of oxygen in a vessel of volume 10 dm3. At
equilibrium it was found that the mixture contained 0.200 mol of hydrogen chloride. Calculate Kc for
the reaction.
5. A 0.04 sample of SO3 is introduced into a 3.04 dm3 vessel and allowed to reach equilibrium. The
amount of SO3 present at equilibrium is found to be 0.0284 mole. Calculate the value of Kc for the
reaction 2SO3(g) == 2SO2(g) + O2(g).
6. At 723K, hydrogen and iodine react together and the following equilibrium is established:
H2(g) + I2(g) == 2HI(g)
The value of Kc for this equilibrium is 64. In an experiment, equal amounts of hydrogen and iodine
were mixed together, and the equilibrium mixture of the three gases in a container of volume 1 dm3 at
723K was found to contain 1.5 moles of iodine. Calculate the concentration of hydrogen iodide in the
mixture at 723K.
7. The expression for an equilibrium constant, Kc, for a homogeneous equilibrium reaction is given below.
(a) Write an equation for the forward reaction and deduce the units of Kc
(b) State what can be deduced from the fact that the value of Kc is larger when the equilibrium is
established at a lower temperature.
CHEM 111
8. A 36.8 g sample of N2O4 was heated in a closed flask of volume 16.0 dm3. An equilibrium was
established at a constant temperature according to the following equation.
N2O4(g) 2NO2(g)
The equilibrium mixture was found to contain 0.180 mol of N2O4
(a) Write an expression for Kc and calculate its value under these conditions.
(b) Another 36.8 g sample of N2O4 was heated to the same temperature as in the original experiment,
but in a larger flask. State the effect, if any, of this change on the position of equilibrium and on
the value of Kc compared with the original experiment.
9. The diagram below shows the effect of temperature and pressure on the equilibrium yield of the product
in a gaseous equilibrium.
(a) Use the diagram to deduce whether the forward reaction involves an increase or a decrease in the
number of moles of gas. Explain your answer.
(b) Use the diagram to deduce whether the forward reaction is exothermic or endothermic.
Explain your answer.
10. When a 0.218 mol sample of hydrogen iodide was heated in a flask of volume V dm3, the following
equilibrium was established at 700 K.
2HI(g) H2(g) + I2(g)
The equilibrium mixture was found to contain 0.023 mol of hydrogen.
(a) Write an expression for Kc for the equilibrium and calculate its value at 700 K
(b) Explain why the volume of the flask need not be known when calculating a value for Kc.
(c) Calculate the value of Kc at 700 K for the equilibrium
H2(g) + I2(g) 2HI(g)
11. A mixture was prepared using 1.00 mol of propanoic acid, 2.00 mol of ethanol and 5.00 mol of water.
At a given temperature, the mixture was left to reach equilibrium according to the following equation.
CH3CH2COOH + CH3CH2OH CH3CH2COOCH2CH3 + H2O ∆Hο = –22 kJ mol–1
The equilibrium mixture contained 0.54 mol of the ester ethyl propanoate.
(a) Write an expression for the equilibrium constant, Kc, for this equilibrium. Calculate its value at
this temperature and explain why this value has no units.
(b) For this equilibrium, predict the effect of an increase in temperature on each of the following.
(i) the amount, in moles, of ester at equilibrium
(ii) the time taken to reach equilibrium
(iii) the value of Kc
CHEM 111
12. At high temperatures, nitrogen is oxidised by oxygen to form nitrogen monoxide in a reversible reaction
as shown in the equation below.
N2(g) + O2(g) 2NO(g) ∆Hο = +180 kJ mol–1
State and explain the effect of an increase in pressure, and the effect of an increase in temperature, on
the yield of nitrogen monoxide in the above equilibrium.
13. Sulphur dioxide and oxygen were mixed in a 2:1 mol ratio and sealed in a flask with a catalyst.
The following equilibrium was established at temperature T1
2SO2(g) + O2(g) 2SO3(g) ΔH = –196 kJ mol–1
(a) When equilibrium was established at a different temperature, T2, the value of Kp was found to
have increased. State which of T1 and T2 is the lower temperature and explain your answer.
(b) In a further experiment, the amounts of sulphur dioxide and oxygen used, the catalyst and the
temperature, T1, were all unchanged, but a flask of smaller volume was used.
Deduce the effect of this change on the yield of sulphur trioxide and on the value of Kc.
14. When heated above 100 °C, nitrosyl chloride (NOCl) partly decomposes to form nitrogen monoxide
and chlorine as shown in the equation.
2NOCl(g) 2NO(g) + Cl2(g)
(a) A 2.50 mol sample of NOCl was heated in a sealed container of volume 5 dm3 and equilibrium
was established at a given temperature. The equilibrium mixture formed contained 0.80 mol of
NO. Calculate the value of Kc for this equilibrium mixture.
(b) A different mixture of NOCl, NO and Cl2 reached equilibrium in a sealed container of volume
15.0 dm3. The equilibrium mixture formed contained 1.90 mol of NOCl and 0.86 mol of NO at
temperature T. The value of Kc for the equilibrium at temperature T was 7.4 × 10−3 mol dm−3.
Calculate the amount, in moles, of Cl2 in this equilibrium mixture.
(c) Consider this alternative equation for the equilibrium at temperature T.
NOCl(g) NO(g) + ½ Cl2(g)
Calculate a value for the different equilibrium constant Kc for the equilibrium as shown in this
alternative equation. Deduce the units of this Kc
15. A mixture of 1.50 mol of hydrogen and 1.20 mol of gaseous iodine was sealed in a container of
volume V dm3. The mixture was left to reach equilibrium as shown by the following equation.
H2(g) + l2(g) 2Hl(g)
At a given temperature, the equilibrium mixture contained 2.06 mol of hydrogen iodide.
Calculate the value of Kc for this reaction at this temperature.
CHEM 111
Kp
16. Consider the equilibrium: N2O4(g) 2NO2(g).
1 mol of dinitrogen tetroxide, N2O4, was introduced into a vessel. At equilibrium at a constant pressure
of 100 kPa, 50% had dissociated. Calculate Kp for the reaction.
17. Hydrogen chloride can be oxidised to chlorine by the Deacon process:

4HCl(g) + O2(g) 2Cl2(g) + 2H2O(g)
0.800 mol of hydrogen chloride was mixed with 0.200 mol of oxygen at a constant pressure of 100 kPa.
At equilibrium it was found that the mixture contained 0.200 mol of hydrogen chloride. Calculate Kp
for the reaction.
18. In an experiment, 9.0 moles of nitrogen and 27 moles of hydrogen were p and allowed to reach
equilibrium at a constant pressure of 25 Mpa. It was found that two thirds of the nitrogen and hydrogen
were converted into ammonia. Calculate Kp for the reaction.
N2(g) + 3H2(g) 2NH3(g)
19. A 0.04 sample of SO3 is allowed to reach equilibrium at a constant pressure of 200 kPa. The amount of
SO3 present at equilibrium is found to be 0.0284 mole. Calculate the value of Kp for the reaction
2SO3(g) 2SO2(g) + O2(g).
20. The reaction between carbon monoxide and hydrogen proceeds according to the equilibrium CO(g) +
2H2(g) CH3OH(g) A vessel contains 0.1 mole of carbon monoxide. After 0.3 mole of
hydrogen is added, 0.06 mol of methanol are formed. The pressure was kept constant at 300 kPa.
Calculate the equilibrium constant Kp.
21. For the general reaction aA + bB cC + dD, derive an expression for Kp in terms of Kc, R, T
and Δn (c + d – a -b)
22. A sealed flask containing gases X and Y in the mole ratio 1:3 was maintained at 600 K until the
following equilibrium was established: X(g) + 3Y(g) 2Z(g)
The partial pressure of Z in the equilibrium mixture was 6.0 MPa when the total pressure was 22.0
MPa. Calculate the value of Kp for the reaction.
23. Sulphur dioxide and oxygen were mixed in a 2:1 mol ratio and sealed in a flask with a catalyst.
The following equilibrium was established at temperature T1:
2SO2(g) + O2(g) 2SO3(g) ΔH = –196 kJ mol–1
(a) The partial pressure of sulphur dioxide in the equilibrium mixture was 24 kPa and the total
pressure in the flask was 104 kPa. Calculate the value of Kp for the reaction.
(b) When equilibrium was established at a different temperature, T2, the value of Kp was found to
have increased. State which of T1 and T2 is the lower temperature and explain your answer.
(c) In a further experiment, the amounts of sulphur dioxide and oxygen used, the catalyst and the
temperature, T1, were all unchanged, but a flask of smaller volume was used.
Deduce the effect of this change on the yield of sulphur trioxide and on the value of Kp.
CHEM 111
Heterogeneous equilibria and Ksp

24. Consider the following equilibrium: CaCO(s) CaO(s) + CO2(g). At 1073 K, the partial
pressure of CO2 is found to be 23.6 kPa. Calculate Kp and Kc for the reaction at this temperature.
25. Consider the following equilibrium: NH4HS(s) NH3(g) + H2S(g). At 295 K, the partial
pressure of each gas is 26.5 kPa. Calculate Kp and Kc for the reaction at this temperature.
26. Consider the following equilibrium: NH4CO2NH2(s) 2NH3(g) + CO2(g). A solid sample of
NH4CO2NH2 was allowed to decompose to equilibrium in an evacuated container. The total gas
pressure was found to be 36.3 kPa. Calculate Kp for the reaction.
27. (a) Calculate the value of Ksp for calcium sulphate (CaSO4) given that its solubility at 25 oC is 0.67
gdm-3.
(b) Calculate the value of Ksp for PbCl2 given that its solubility is 0.011 moldm-3.
(c) The Ksp of silver bromide (AgBr) is 7.7 x 10-13 mol2dm-6. Deduce the molar solubility of silver
bromide.
(d) The Ksp of copper hydroxide Cu(OH)2 is 2.2 x 10-20 mol3dm-9. Deduce the molar solubility of
copper hydroxide.
28. (a) The Ksp of barium sulphate (BaSO4) is 1.1 x 10-10 mol2dm-6. Deduce whether or not a precipitate
will form if 200 cm3 of 0.0040 moldm-3 BaCl2 is mixed with 600 cm3 of 0.0080 moldm-3 K2SO4.
(b) The Ksp of calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 is 8.0 x 10-6 mol2dm-6. Deduce whether or not a
precipitate will form if 2.0 cm3 of 0.20 moldm-3 NaOH is mixed with 1.0 cm3 of 0.10 moldm-3
CaCl2.
29. Silver nitrate is slowly added to a solution that contains 0.020 moldm-3 Cl- and Br-. Ksp of AgCl = 1.6 x
10-10 mol2dm-6 and Ksp of AgBr = 7.7 x 10-13 mol2dm-6.
(a) Calculate the concentration range of Ag+ ions which could separate Br- and Cl- in solution by
precipitating AgBr but not AgCl.
(b) What is the concentration of Br- ions in the solution just before AgCl begins to precipitate?
30. (a) Calculate the solubility of AgCl in a 6.5 x 10-3 moldm-3 solution of AgNO3. The Ksp of AgCl =
1.6 x 10-10 mol2dm-6
(b) Calculate the solubility of AgBr in a 1.0 x 10-3 moldm-3 solution of NaBr. The Ksp of AgBr is 7.7
x 10-13 mol2dm-6.
31. 75 cm3 of 0.060 moldm-3 NaF is added to 25 cm3 of 0.15 moldm-3 Sr(NO3)2. The solubility product of
SrF2 is 2.0 x 10-10 mol3dm-9. Deduce the concentration of Na+, F-, Sr2+ and NO3- in the resulting
solution.
32. Ba2+ ions are highly toxic. Barium compounds, however, are very useful for medical X-ray analysis.
Patients are typically given 20 g of BaSO4 (Ksp = 1.1 x 10-10 mol2dm-6). Calculate the concentration of
Ba2+ ions when this is mixed with 5.0 dm3 of a patient’s blood.
CHEM 111
Acid-Base Equilibria and pH (Kw = 1.0 x 10-14 mol2dm-6)

33. For each of the following equilibria, identify the conjugate acid base pairs by labelling each species as
Acid 1, Base 1, Acid 2 or Base 2
(a) H2O(l) + NH3(aq) NH4+(aq) + OH-(aq)
(b) CH3COOH(aq) + H2O(aq) CH3COO-(aq) + H3O+(aq)
(c) H2SO4(aq) + HNO3(aq) HSO4-(aq) + H2NO3+(aq)
(d) 2H2O(l) H3O+(aq) + OH-(aq)
(e) HCO3-(aq) + H3O+(aq) CO2(g) + H2O(l) + H2O(l)
34. (a) Calculate the pH of the following solutions:

(i) 0.10 moldm-3 C6H5COOH (Ka of benzoic acid = 6.3 x 10-5 moldm-3)
(ii) 0.05 moldm-3 NaHSO4 (Ka of HSO4- = 1.0 x 10-2 moldm-3)
(b) Calculate the molarity of a solution of HCOOH (Ka = 1.6 x 10-4 moldm-3) which has a pH of 3.0
(c) The pH of a 0.10 moldm-3 solution of a weak monoprotic acid, HA is 2.85. Determine the Ka of
the acid.
(d) A 500 cm3 solution containing 1.9g of a weak acid HA has a pH of 3.5. Calculate the molar mass
of the acid, given that it has a Ka of 2.0 x 10-6 moldm-3.
35. Pure water at 40 oC has a pH of 6.7

(a) Calculate the ionic product of water at 40 oC
(b) Deduce whether the auto-ionisation of water is endothermic or exothermic
36. Calculate the pH of the following solutions:

(a) 0.02 moldm-3 Ba(OH)2.
(b) 0.1 moldm-3 NH3 (Kb of NH3 = 1.8 x 10-5 moldm-3)
(c) The solution formed after the addition of 50.0 cm3 of 0.150 moldm-3 NaOH to 25.0 cm3 of 0.06
moldm-3 HCl.
37. (a) Given that the Kb for NH3 is 1.8 x 10-5 moldm-3, calculate the pH of 0.1 moldm-3 NH4Cl.
(b) Given that the Ka for CH3COOH is 1.7 x 10-5 moldm-3, calculate the pH of 0.25 moldm-3
CH3COONa.
(c) Calculate the molarity of a solution of KCN which has a pH of 11.0, given that the Ka for HCN is
4.9 x 10-10 moldm-3
38. (a) Calculate the pH of 2 x 10-8 moldm-3 H2SO4

(b) Calculate the pH of the solution formed when 0.1 g of NaOH is dropped into a tank containing 5
m3 of water.
CHEM 111
39. 0.500 g of an impure sample of salicylic acid was tipped into a beaker and 100 cm3 of distilled water
were added. The solution was poured into a 250 cm3 graduated flask and made up to the mark with
distilled water. The pH of this solution was measured and a value of 2.50 was obtained.
(a) Calculate the concentration of salicylic acid in this solution. The Ka for salicylic acid is 1.07 × 10–
3
mol dm–3. Assume that salicylic acid is the only acid in this solution. You may represent
salicylic acid as HA.
(b) Use your answer to part (b) to calculate the mass of salicylic acid (Mr = 138.0) present in the
original sample.
(c) Use your answer to part (c) to calculate the percentage purity of the salicylic acid used to make
the solution.
40. Calculate the pH of the solution formed when 25.0 cm3 of 0.150 mol dm–3 aqueous sulfuric acid are
added to 30.0 cm3 of 0.200 mol dm–3 aqueous potassium hydroxide at 25 °C. Assume that the sulfuric
acid is fully dissociated.
41. (a) A saturated solution of calcium hydroxide (limewater) at 25 oC has a pH of 11.5. Calculate the
solubility product for calcium hydroxide at 25 oC.
(b) Calculate the molar solubility of Fe(OH)2 (Ksp = 1.6 x 10-14 mol3dm-9) in a solution at a fixed pH
of
(i) 5.0
(ii) 8.0
(iii) 10.0
(c) The Ksp for Mg(OH)2 is 1.2 x 10-11 mol3dm-9. What is the highest pH at which 1.0 g of magnesium
hydroxide can be dissolved in 500 cm3 of a solution containing no other Mg2+ ions?
42. In a 0.25 M solution, a different acid HY is 95% dissociated.

(a) Calculate the pH of this solution.
(b) Calculate the value of Ka for the acid HY.
43. A solution of phenol in water has a concentration of 4.7 g dm-3. Calculate the pH of this solution of
phenol. (Ka of phenol = 1.28 x 10-10 moldm-3)
(a) A 1.50 × 10–2 mol dm–3 solution of HCOOH has [H+] = 1.55 × 10–3 mol dm–3
(b) Calculate the values of Ka and pKa for methanoic acid.
(c) Estimate the percentage of HCOOH molecules that have dissociated in this aqueous solution of
methanoic acid.
44. An excess of magnesium was added to 100 cm3 of 0.0450 moldm-3 hydrochloric acid. The same mass of
magnesium was added to 100 cm3 of 0.0450 moldm-3 ethanoic acid.
Both reactions produced the same volume of hydrogen gas, measured at room temperature and pressure,
but the reaction with ethanoic acid took much longer to produce this gas volume.
(a) Write equations for both reactions and show that both reactions should have produced 54 cm3 of
hydrogen gas.
(b) Explain why the reaction with ethanoic acid took much longer.
CHEM 111
Buffer Solutions
45. (a) What is meant by the term "buffer solution"?
(b) Calculate the pH of a buffer solution which contains the weak monoprotic acid, propanoic acid
(CH3CH2COOH), in concentration 0.10 moldm-3 and sodium propanoate in concentration 0.05
moldm-3. Ka of propanoic acid is 1.26 x 10-5 moldm-3.
(c) Give equations to show how the above solution fulfills its buffer function
(d) Calculate the pH of the solution after 0.01 moles of NaOH are added to 500 cm3 of the solution
(e) Calculate the pH of the solution after 0.01 moles of HCl are added to 500 cm3 of the solution
(f) Calculate the pH after 0.01 moles of NaOH is added to 500 cm3 of water
(g) Comment on your answers to (d) and (f).
46. (a) Calculate the pH of 0.12 moldm-3 ethanoic acid (Ka = 1.7 x 10-5 moldm-3).
(b) Calculate the mass of sodium ethanoate (CH3COONa) which must be added to 500 cm3 this
solution to give a buffer solution of pH = 4.60
(c) Calculate the pH after 0.01 moles of HCl are added to this solution
(d) Calculate the pH after 0.01 moles of NaOH are added to this solution
47. Calculate the pH of a buffer which is 0.20 moldm-3 with respect to ammonium sulphate and 0.10
moldm-3 with respect to ammonia. (Ka of NH4+ = 5.6 x 10-10 moldm-3)
48. Methanoic acid, HCOOH, has a Ka value of 1.58 x 10-4 moldm-3. What ratio of methanoic acid and
sodium methanoate would give a buffer of pH = 4.00?
49. (a) Calculate the pH of a buffer solution which is 0.1 moldm-3 with respect to HCN (Ka = 4.9 x 10-10
moldm-3) and 0.8 moldm-3 with respect to sodium cyanide
(b) Calculate the pH after 0.05 moles of HCl are added to 1 dm3 of this buffer
(c) Calculate the pH after 0.05 moles of NaOH are added to 1 dm3 of this buffer
(d) Calculate the pH after 0.2 moles of NaOH are added to 1 dm3 of this buffer
(e) Comment on your answer to (d)
50. An acidic buffer solution is formed when 10.0 cm3 of 0.125 mol dm–3 aqueous sodium hydroxide are
added to 15.0 cm3 of 0.174 mol dm–3 aqueous HX. The value of Ka for the weak acid HX is 3.01 × 10–5
mol dm–3. Calculate the pH of this buffer solution at 298 K. Give your answer to 2 decimal places.
51. A 0.210 moldm–3 solution of potassium hydroxide was added from a burette to 25.0 cm3 of a
0.160 moldm–3 solution of ethanoic acid in a conical flask. Given that the value of the acid dissociation
constant, Ka, for ethanoic acid is 1.74 × 10–5 mol dm–3, calculate the pH at 25 °C of the solution in the
conical flask at the following three points:
(a) Before any potassium hydroxide had been added
(b) After 8 cm3 of potassium hydroxide had been added
(c) After 40 cm3 of potassium hydroxide had been added
52. The pH of blood must remain between 6.8 and 7.4 and is blood is therefore buffered by the presence of
carbonic acid (H2CO3, Ka = 4.5 x 10-7 moldm-3) and hydrogencarbonate ions (HCO3-); calculate the
maximum and minimum ratio of HCO3-: H2CO3 required to maintain the pH of blood between 6.8 and
7.4
CHEM 111
Indicators and Titrations
53. Most acid-base indicators are weak acids, of which the colour of the conjugate acid (HIn) and the colour
of the conjugate base (In-) are different; as a result the colour of the indicator depends on its degree of
dissociation, which in turn depends on the pH. The end-point of an indicator is the pH at which [HIn] =
[In-]
(a) Show that the end-point pH of an indicator is equal to its pKIn value
(b) Indicators are generally believed to show the acid colour only when [HIn] > 10[In-], the alkali
colour only when [In-] > 10[HIn] and an hence an intermediate colour when 10[In-] > [HIn] >
0.1[In-]; show that a typical indicator changes colour over the pH range pKIn ± 1
(c) Hence suggest the end-point pH range for the following indicators:
Phenolphthalein (pKIn = 9.3)
Methyl orange (pKIn = 3.7)
54. (a) Sketch pH curves for the following titrations:

20 cm3 1.0 moldm-3 NH3 against 1.0 moldm-3 HCl
20 cm3 1.0 moldm-3 NaOH against 2.0 moldm-3 HCl
20 cm3 1.0 moldm-3 CH3COOH against 0.6 moldm-3 NaOH
20 cm3 1.0 moldm-3 CH3COOH against 1.5 moldm-3 NH3
(b) Use you answers to 52 (c) to suggest whether methyl orange and phenolphthalein would be
suitable indicators for each titration.
CHEM 111

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CHEM 111 – PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL AND INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

CREDIT HOURS 2.0

UNIT 1 – MOLES, FORMULAE AND EQUATIONS

7. Solubility, precipitation and qualitative analysis

8. oxidation and reduction, oxidation numbers, redox reactions, disproportionation, redox

10. Chemical equivalency of elements; concept of normality; principles of scientific enquiry;

items in italics are covered at senior secondary level

UNIT 2 – CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM

1. Principles of chemical equilibrium; dynamic equilibrium, Kc and reaction quotient

3. Le Chatelier’s principle; effect of changing conditions on position of equilibrium and Kc

4. Heterogeneous equilibria, solubility constants and solubility

9. Indicators and acid-base titrations

items in italics are covered at senior secondary level

UNIT 1 – MOLES, FORMULAE AND EQUATIONS

- first a sample is vaporized

2. Review of chemical structures and formulae

• Pure substances can be classified as either elements or compounds:

• Atoms can combine to form elements or compounds in a number of different ways:

(iii) Simple molecular or simple atomic structures (elements and compounds)

4. Accuracy, Precision and measurement error

5. Equations and Chemical Reactions

6. Acid-base reactions and pH

(a) Arrhenius definition

(b) Bronsted-Lowry and Lewis definitions

(c) Acidic, alkaline and neutral solutions

(d) Water of crystallisation

pipette burette volumetric flask

(a) Acid-Base Titrations

Indicator end-point pH range of Colour in Colour in suitability

(b) Precipitation Titrations

• The equivalence point of this reaction can be observed in two ways:

(c) Redox Titrations

10. Normality and Equivalent Weights

11. Principles of Scientific Enquiry

• The process of scientific enquiry can be summarised as follows:

• Deduction is the process of arriving at a conclusion by logic

UNIT 2 – CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIA

1. Principles of Chemical Equilibrium

(a) Equilibrium constants at constant volume (Kc)

(b) Equilibrium constants at constant pressure (Kp)

(c) Reaction Quotients

(a) Bronsted-Lowry theory

(b) Auto-ionisation of water

• The pH of pure water can be calculated from this expression:

(c) Dissociation constants for weak acids and bases

• Weak acids dissociate partially in water and reach an equilibrium as follows:

• Weak bases can be analysed in a very similar way:

other can be calculated, as well as the pH

(d) Salt hydrolysis

(e) Very dilute solutions

(f) Polyprotic acids and bases

(g) Buffer Solutions

• Buffer solutions form the following equilibrium in water: HA H+ + A-

(h) Titrations and Indicators

Type of titration pH at equivalence point pH change at equivalence

CHEM 111 PRACTICE QUESTIONS

6. (a) Deduce the relative masses of:

7. (a) Calculate the number of moles present in:

8. (a) According to the ideal gas equation, PV = nRT (R = 8.31 Jmol-1K-1)

9. Deduce which sample (A, B or C) contains the most ammonia (NH3):