Question

Gifblaar is a small South African shrub and one of the most poisonous plants knownbecauseit contains fluoroacetic acid (FCH₂COOH), which has a pKaof 2.59.

Calculate the initial concentration of fluoroacetic acid in a solution that has the same pH as a 0.00135 M solution of HCl.

Answer 1

To calculate the initial concentration of fluoroacetic acid in a solution that has the same pH as a 0.00135 M solution of HCl, you can convert the pH to a concentration using the equation [H+] = 10^(-pH).

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the initial concentration of fluoroacetic acid (FCH₂COOH) in a solution that has the same pH as a 0.00135 M solution of HCl, we need to understand the relationship between concentration and pH.

pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in a solution. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, where a pH of 0-6 is acidic, a pH of 7 is neutral, and a pH of 8-14 is basic. The lower the pH, the higher the concentration of H+ ions.

Given that the pH of the HCl solution is the same as the fluoroacetic acid solution, we can assume that the concentration of H+ ions in both solutions is the same. Therefore, the initial concentration of fluoroacetic acid can be calculated by converting the pH to a concentration using the equation:

[H+] = 10^(-pH)

Substituting the pH value of the HCl solution (which is -log(0.00135)), we can solve for the initial concentration of fluoroacetic acid.