Question

Would the concentration of hydrogen ion in a 0.30 m solution of acetic acid be greater than, less than, or equal to 0.30 m?

1) Greater than 0.30 m
2) Less than 0.30 m
3) Equal to 0.30 m

Answer 1

The concentration of hydrogen ion in a 0.30 M solution of acetic acid would be less than 0.30 M because acetic acid is a weak acid and does not fully dissociate in water.

Step-by-step explanation:

The concentration of hydrogen ion ([H+]) in a 0.30 M solution of acetic acid would be less than 0.30 M because acetic acid is a weak acid and does not ionize completely in water. The extent of ionization for weak acids is generally less than 10%, so the majority of the acetic acid molecules remain undissociated. For example, a 0.10 M solution of acetic acid is only about 1.3% ionized, indicating that equilibrium strongly favors the reactants. Therefore, in a 0.30 M acetic acid solution, the concentration of ionized hydrogen ions will be significantly less than the initial concentration of acetic acid.