Acid-Ionization Equilibria

The simplest acid—base equilibria are those in which a single acid or base solute reacts with water. We will look first at solutions of weak acids, then at solutions of weak bases. Then we will consider solutions of salts, which can have acidic or basic properties as a result of reactions of their ions with water. 

Top Structural formula. Only the hydrogen atom (in color) attached to the oxygen atom is acidic.The hydrogen atoms attached to carbon atoms are not acidic.The acidic group 

In terms of the thermodynamic equilibrium constant, the activity of H2O is nearly constant and essentially 1, so it does not appear explicitly in the equilibrium constant. 

Because acetic acid is a weak electroljrte, the acid ionizes to a small extent in water (about 1% or less, depending on the concentration of add). 

For a strong acid, which ionizes completely in solution, the concentrations of ions are determined by the stoichiometry of the reaction from the initial concentration of acid. However, for a weak acid such as acetic acid, the concentrations of ions in solution are determined from the acid-ionization constant (also called the acid-dissociation constant), which is the equilibrium constant for the ionization of a weak acid. 

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Presto, a third-order rate law This multiplication should not be taken as representing a chemical event or as carrying such implications it is only a valid mathematical manipulation. Other similar transformations can be given,2 as when one multiplies by another factor of unity derived from the acid ionization equilibrium of HOC1. (The reader may show that this gives a second-order rate law.) These considerations illustrate that it is the rate law and not the reaction itself that has associated with it a unique order. 

Just like sodium ions, chloride ions are spectator ions in acid-base chemistry. Their job is to provide a charge balance to the cations in solution. So, in calculating the pH of lidocaine hydrochloride we ignore the chloride ion. Now we could draw out the structure or write the molecular formula of lidocaine and its conjugate acid, but it is tedious to do so. Let s do what most chemists do, and postulate a temporary abbreviation for these species. How about using L for lidocaine, and HL+ for its conjugate acid Now, we can write an equation for the acid ionization equilibrium reaction. 

Because acetic acid is a weak add, you can assume as a first approximation that the reaction goes to completion. This part of the problem is simply a stoichiometric calculation. Then you assume that the acetic add ionizes slightly. This part of the problem involves an acid-ionization equilibrium. 

EQUILIBRIUM CALCULATION You first calculate the concentrations of HC2H3O2 and C2H302 present in the solution before you consider the acid-ionization equilibrium. Note that the total volume of solution (buffer plus hydrochloric acid) is 75 mL + 9.5 mL, or 85 mL (0.085 L). Hence, the starting concentrations are... 

We can understand this behavior by analogy with Le Chateher s prindple. Consider the following weak acid ionization equilibrium ... 

We derive an expression for the concentration of H30 from the acid ionization equilibrium expression by solving the expression for [H30 ] ... 

According to the Arrhenius definitions an acid ionizes m water to pro duce protons (H" ) and a base produces hydroxide ions (HO ) The strength of an acid is given by its equilibrium constant for ionization m aqueous solution... 

The equilibrium constant for the overall reaction is related to an apparent equilibrium constant Ki for carbonic acid ionization by the expression... 

In a series of organic acids of similar type, not much tendency exists for one acid to be more reactive than another. For example, in the replacement of stearic acid in methyl stearate by acetic acid, the equilibrium constant is 1.0. However, acidolysis in formic acid is usually much faster than in acetic acid, due to higher acidity and better ionizing properties of the former (115). Branched-chain acids, and some aromatic acids, especially stericaHy hindered acids such as ortho-substituted benzoic acids, would be expected to be less active in replacing other acids. Mixtures of esters are obtained when acidolysis is carried out without forcing the replacement to completion by removing one of the products. The acidolysis equilibrium and mechanism are discussed in detail in Reference 115. 

The classic example, and still the most useful one, of a LFER is the Hammett equation, which correlates rates and equilibria of many side-chain reactions of meta- and para-substituted aromatic compounds. The standard reaction is the aqueous ionization equilibrium at 25°C of meta- and para-substituted benzoic acids. 

Certain weak acids are polyprotic they contain more than one ionizable hydrogen atom. Such acids ionize in steps, with a separate equilibrium constant for each step. Oxalic acid, a weak organic acid sometimes used to remove bloodstains, is diprotic ... 

A reactant may be present in two forms, or even three, that coexist. The components are related by one (or two) reactions that, we shall assume, equilibrate very rapidly compared to the rate of product buildup. The proportion in each form may be changed by some variable that the investigator keeps constant in a single experiment but later varies among a series of determinations. One instance in which this arises is that of a rapid protonation equilibrium. For example, suppose that the reactant A is partially protonated, and that it is the protonated form of the substrate, AH+, that is converted to product. This can be diagrammed in more than one way here we choose the form in which the protonation equilibrium is written as an acid ionization, which is the usual convention ... 

For the purpose of systematizing kinetic and equilibrium data, for literally hundreds of reactions, it is desirable to have a single reference series for all. Hammett adopted as the standard the acid ionization constants for substituted benzoic acids in aqueous solution at 25 °C. This choice was fortunate because the compounds are stable and for the most part readily available. Also, their pA"a s can easily and precisely be measured for nearly every substituent. Thus, one constructs a plot according to either of the following equations, in which Eq. (10-4) constitutes a further example ... 

Hydroxyl radicals. The acid ionization constant of the short-lived HO transient is difficult to determine by conventional methods but an estimate can be made because HO, but not its conjugate base, O -, oxidizes ferrocyanide ions HO + Fe(CN) — OH- + Fe(CN)g . Use the following kinetic data26 for the apparent second-order rate constant as a function of pH to estimate Ka for the acid dissociation equilibrium HO + H20 =... 

One of the most important types of aqueous equilibrium involves proton transfer from an acid to a base. In aqueous soiutions, water can act as an acid or a base. In the presence of an acid, symbolized HA, water acts as a base by accepting a proton. The equilibrium constant for transfer of a proton from an acid to a water molecule is caiied the acid ionization constant (Zg) ... 

The strength of a weak acid is measured by its acid ionization constant,. This equilibrium constant can be calculated from the measured pH of the solution, as illustrated in Example. ... 

The pH-sensitive liposomes consist of mixtures of several saturated egg phosphatidylcholines and several A -acylamino acids. The release of drug is suggested to be a function of acid-base equilibrium effected by the interaction between ionizable amino acids and N-acy-lamino acid headgroups of the liposomes. There appears to be a close relation between Tc and pH effect [72],... 

Membrane uptake of nonionized solute is favored over that of ionized solute by the membrane/water partition coefficient (Kp). If Kp = 1 for a nonionized solute, membrane permeability should mirror the solute ionization curve (i.e., membrane permeability should be half the maximum value when mucosal pH equals solute pKa). When the Kp is high, membrane uptake of nonionized solute shifts the ionization equilibrium in the mucosal microclimate to replace nonionized solute removed by the membrane. As a result, solute membrane permeability (absorption rate) versus pH curves are shifted toward the right for weak acids and toward the left for weak bases (Fig. 7). 

The Br0nsted theory expands the definition of acids and bases to allow us to explain much more of solution chemistry. For example, the Brpnsted theory allows us to explain why a solution of ammonium chloride tests acidic and a solution of sodium acetate tests basic. Most of the substances that we consider acids in the Arrhenius theory are also acids in the Bronsted theory, and the same is true of bases. In both theories, strong acids are those that react completely with water to form ions. Weak acids ionize only slightly. We can now explain this partial ionization as an equilibrium reaction of the ions, the weak acid, and the water. A similar statement can be made about weak bases ... 

The symbol for the equilibrium constant is K. It is called the acid ionization constant. 

In this contribution, we describe and illustrate the latest generalizations and developments[1]-[3] of a theory of recent formulation[4]-[6] for the study of chemical reactions in solution. This theory combines the powerful interpretive framework of Valence Bond (VB) theory [7] — so well known to chemists — with a dielectric continuum description of the solvent. The latter includes the quantization of the solvent electronic polarization[5, 6] and also accounts for nonequilibrium solvation effects. Compared to earlier, related efforts[4]-[6], [8]-[10], the theory [l]-[3] includes the boundary conditions on the solute cavity in a fashion related to that of Tomasi[ll] for equilibrium problems, and can be applied to reaction systems which require more than two VB states for their description, namely bimolecular Sjy2 reactions ],[8](b),[12],[13] X + RY XR + Y, acid ionizations[8](a),[14] HA +B —> A + HB+, and Menschutkin reactions[7](b), among other reactions. Compared to the various reaction field theories in use[ll],[15]-[21] (some of which are discussed in the present volume), the theory is distinguished by its quantization of the solvent electronic polarization (which in general leads to deviations from a Self-consistent limiting behavior), the inclusion of nonequilibrium solvation — so important for chemical reactions, and the VB perspective. Further historical perspective and discussion of connections to other work may be found in Ref.[l],... 

Buffers are used mainly to control the pH and the acid-base equilibrium of the solute in the mobile phase. They can also be used to influence the retention times of ionizable compounds. The buffer capacity should be maximum and should be uniform in the pH range of 2-8 commonly used in HPLC. The buffers should be soluble, stable, and compatible with the detector employed, e.g., citrates are known to react with certain HPLC hardware components. 

The weak acid curves can also be calculated. This involves the use of the equilibrium constant expression for a weak monoprotic acid ionization ... 

In these equations, HA symbolizes a weak acid and A symbolizes the anion of the weak acid. The calculations are beyond our scope. However, we can correlate the value of the equilibrium constant for a weak acid ionization, Ka, with the position of the titration curve. The weaker the acid, the smaller the IQ and the higher the level of the initial steady increase. Figure 5.2 shows a family of curves representing several acids at a concentration of 0.10 M titrated with a strong base. The curves for HC1 and acetic acid (represented as HAc) are shown, as well as two curves for two acids even weaker than acetic acid. (The IQ s are indicated.)... 

Reaction constant p has been chosen as unity for the ionization equilibrium constant for benzoic acid in aqueous solution and for the substituted benzoic acids defined as... 

In dilute solutions, the concentration of water is almost constant. Multiplying both sides of the equilibrium expression by [H2O] gives the product of two constants on the left side. This new constant is called the acid dissociation constant, K. (Some chemists refer to the acid dissociation constant as the acid ionization constant. With either name, the symbol is Xg.)... 

Enols and enolization feature prominently in some of the basic biochemical pathways (see Chapter 15). Biochemists will be familiar with the terminology enol as part of the name phosphoenolpyruvate, a metabolite of the glycolytic pathway. We shall here consider it in non-ionized form, i.e. phosphoenolpyruvic acid. As we have already noted (see Section 10.1), in the enolization between pyruvic acid and enolpyruvic acid, the equilibrium is likely to favour the keto form pyruvic acid very much. However, in phosphoenolpyruvic acid the enol hydroxyl is esterified with phosphoric acid (see Section 7.13.2), effectively freezing the enol form and preventing tautomerism back to the keto form. 

The method proposed by Blumstein at is based on the conductivity measurements. It is suitable for the systems in which shift of ionization equilibrium during polymerization takes place. This method was successfully applied to follow template polymerization of p-styrene sulfonic acid in the presence of polycationic ionenes used as template. The results confirm data obtained for the same system by another methods. 

Although the mechanism of eqns (7) and (8) may be a reasonable one for the breakdown of [109], for some of the more reactive species, especially those derived from chloroacetic or dichloracetic acid, it may not be, as shown by the following considerations. For this mechanism to be valid the value of fc2 calculated from the relationship /cHO- = A fc2must be (i) less than the time constant for a molecular vibration (1012-1014s-1) fii) less than the value of based on the estimated Ka and the assumption that the ionization equilibrium (7) is diffusion controlled in the thermodynamically favourable direction, i.e. k1 = 10nM-1s-1. These two conditions are easily fulfilled with the hemiacetals and the less reactive hemiorthoesters derived from pinacol monoesters (see Table 15), but with the more reactive hemiorthoesters the calculated values of k2 lie close to or are greater than the cal-... 

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