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9: Buffers, Titrations, and Solubility

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    • 9.0: Introduction
      The Case of the Colorado Brown Stain: How Chemistry Solved a Dental Mystery
    • 9.1: Neutralization Reactions
      Neutralization reactions involve the reaction of an acid with a base to form a salt. Reactions that involve a strong acid or a strong base, or both, are always product favoured and can be treated as if they go to completion. The pH of a neutralization reaction is determine by the acid-base properties of the resulting salt.
    • 9.2: Buffers
      A buffer solution contains a weak acid and the salt of its conjugate base or a weak base and the salt of its conjugate acid.  The acid component neutralizes the addition of bases and the base component neutralizes the addition of acids, thereby resisting changes to pH.
    • 9.3: Acid-Base Titrations
      Titration curves show how pH changes as titrant is added. The equivalence point is where acid and base have reacted completely. Weak acid–base titrations form buffers before the equivalence point, leading to more gradual pH changes. At the midpoint, pH equals pKa for weak acids or pKb for weak bases. Acid-base indicators are weak acids or bases that change colour at a specific pH and must be chosen to match the expected pH at the equivalence point.
    • 9.4: Solubility Equilibria
      In a saturated solution, the undissolved solid and the dissolved ions are in equilibrium.  The solubility product constant (Ksp​) is the equilibrium constant for a dissolution reaction and indicates how much of a compound can dissolve.  The common ion effect occurs when a solution already contains one of the ions from the solid, shifting the equilibrium according to Le Chatelier’s principle.  The presence of a common ion reduces solubility.
    • 9.E: Buffers, Titrations and Solubility Equilibria (Exercises)
      To master the concepts of buffers, titrations, and solubility, it is important to work through these problems actively. Attempt each question without immediately consulting the solutions, as this approach strengthens understanding, improves retention, and builds the problem-solving skills needed for success in later topics.

    Thumbnail: Lead (II) iodide precipitates when potassium iodide is mixed with lead (II) nitrate. (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported; PRHaney via Wikipedia)

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