Carbonic acid, weak

Since carbonic acid is a weak acid, its salts are hydrolysed in aqueous solution ... 

Carbonic acid is formed when carbon dioxide reacts with water Hydration of car bon dioxide is far from complete however Almost all the carbon dioxide that is dis solved m water exists as carbon dioxide only 0 3% of it is converted to carbonic acid Carbonic acid is a weak acid and ionizes to a small extent to bicarbonate ion... 

Most weak base anion exchangers adsorbweak organic acids such as formic acid [64-18-6] and acetic acid [64-19-7] but do not remove weak organic acids such as carbonic acid [463-79-6] or siHcic acid [7669-41 ]. 

Another alternative involves the use of a weak acid cation exchanger in the hydrogen form. This resin is not capable of removing aH cations. It removes only the amount equivalent to the bicarbonate in the influent water. The acidity in the effluent stream is carbonic acid [463-79-6] which can be eliminated by installing a degasifter. 

Carbon dioxide, the final oxidation product of carbon, is not very reactive at ordinary temperatures. However, in water solution it forms carbonic acid [463-79-6] H2CO2, which forms salts and esters through the typical reactions of a weak acid. The first ionization constant is 3.5 x 10 at 291 K the second is 4.4 x 10 at 298 K. The pH of saturated carbon dioxide solutions varies from 3.7 at 101 kPa (1 atm) to 3.2 at 2,370 kPa (23.4 atm). A soHd hydrate [27592-78-5] 8H20, separates from aqueous solutions of carbon dioxide that are chilled at elevated pressures. 

Because the solution is capable of absorbing one mole of carbon monoxide per mole of cuprous ion, it is desirable to maximize the copper content of the solution. The ammonia not only complexes with the cuprous ion to permit absorption but also increases the copper solubiUty and thereby permits an even greater carbon monoxide absorption capacity. The ammonia concentration is set by a balance between ammonia vapor pressure and solution acidity. Weak organic acids, eg, formic, acetic, and carbonic acid, are used because they are relatively noncorrosive and inexpensive. A typical formic acid... 

In this case the parameters C and Q are of order of unity, and therefore they correspond to the intermediate situation between the sudden and adiabatic tunneling regimes. Examples are mal-onaldehyde, tropolon and its derivatives, and the hydrogen-oxalate anion discussed above. For intermolecular transfer, corresponding to a weak hydrogen bond, the parameters C, Q and b are typically much smaller than unity, and the sudden approximation is valid. In particular, carbonic acids fulfill this condition, as was illustrated by Makri and Miller [1989]. 

In the discussion of the relative acidity of carboxylic acids in Chapter 1, the thermodynamic acidity, expressed as the acid dissociation constant, was taken as the measure of acidity. It is straightforward to determine dissociation constants of such adds in aqueous solution by measurement of the titration curve with a pH-sensitive electrode (pH meter). Determination of the acidity of carbon acids is more difficult. Because most are very weak acids, very strong bases are required to cause deprotonation. Water and alcohols are far more acidic than most hydrocarbons and are unsuitable solvents for generation of hydrocarbon anions. Any strong base will deprotonate the solvent rather than the hydrocarbon. For synthetic purposes, aprotic solvents such as ether, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and dimethoxyethane (DME) are used, but for equilibrium measurements solvents that promote dissociation of ion pairs and ion clusters are preferred. Weakly acidic solvents such as DMSO and cyclohexylamine are used in the preparation of strongly basic carbanions. The high polarity and cation-solvating ability of DMSO facilitate dissociation... 

Ornithine, proline, hydroxyproline, pipecolic acid and sarcosine yield red zones, glycine greenish-brown and the other amino acids weakly brown ones [3]. The colors of the zones are different if an alcoholic solution of potassium carbonate is used for basification instead of dipping solution II. 

In addition to heavy hydrocarbons and water vapor, natural gas often contains other contaminants that may have to be removed. Carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and other sulfur compounds such as mercaptans are compounds that may require complete or partial removal for acceptance by a gas purchaser. These compounds are known as acid gases. H2S combined with water forms a weak form of sulfuric acid, while CO2 and water forms carbonic acid, thus the term acid gas. ... 

Carbon dioxide dissolves in water to form a weak acid (carbonic acid), which reduces the pH of the solution and, consequently, increases its corrosivity. Corrosion caused by carbon dioxide is generally referred to as sweet corrosion, and results in pitting. The mechanism of carbon dioxide corrosion is as follows [197,198] ... 

The end point with 100 mL of 0.2M sodium hydrogencarbonate and 0.2M hydrochloric acid may be deduced as follows from the known dissociation constant and concentration of the weak acid. The end point will obviously occur when 100 mL of hydrochloric acid has been added, i.e. the solution now has a total volume of 200 mL. Consequently since the carbonic acid liberated from the sodium hydrogencarbonate (0.02 moles) is now contained in a volume of 200 mL, its concentration is 0.1 M. Kl for carbonic acid has a value of 4.3 x 10 7, and hence we can say ... 

Rain unaffected by human activity contains mostly weak acids and has a pH of 5.7. The primary acid present is carbonic acid, H2C03, a weak acid that results when atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in water. The major pollutants in acid rain are strong acids that arise from human activities. Atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen can react to form NO, but the endothermic reaction is spontaneous only at the high temperatures of automobile internal combustion engines and electrical power stations ... 

Decide on the basis of the information in Table 10.3 whether carbonic acid is a strong or weak acid in liquid ammonia solvent. Explain your answer. 

Acetic acid is used as a solvent for some reactions between acids and bases, (a) Nitrous acid and carbonic acids are both weak acids in water. Will either of them act as a strong acid in acetic acid Explain your answer, (b) Will ammonia act as a strong or weak base in acetic acid Explain your answer. 

Besides its inertness, CO2 is modestly water soluble and in aqueous media forms carbonic acid which is a weak acid. Henry s Law for CO2 states... 

The bottom portion of Table 8.1 consists of very weak acids pK. above 17). In most of these acids, the proton is lost from a carbon atom, and such acids are known as carbon acids. The pa s values for such weak acids are often difficult to measure and are known only approximately. The methods used to determine the relative positions of these acids are discussed in Chapter 5. The acidity of carbon acids is proportional to the stability of the carbanions that are their conjugate bases (see p. 227). 

Solutions of weak acids or bases and their conjugates exhibit buffering, the abihty to resist a change in pH following addition of strong acid or base. Since many metabohc reactions are accompanied by the release or uptake of protons, most intracellular reactions are buffered. Oxidative metabohsm produces CO2, the anhydride of carbonic acid, which if not buffered would produce severe acidosis. Maintenance of a constant pH involves buffering by phosphate, bicarbonate, and proteins, which accept or release protons to resist a change... 

C04-0032. Carbonic acid, H2 CO3 (molecular model shown below), is a weak oxoacid that forms when carbon dioxide dissolves in water. Carbonic acid contains two acidic hydrogen atoms. Write the net ionic reaction that occurs when carbonic acid reacts with an excess of hydroxide ions. Draw a molecular picture of the process. 

The reaction between acids and bases is also responsible for some of the most spectacular, breathtaking cavern formations on Earth. As rainwater falls through the air, it encounters carbon dioxide (C02) gas. As it moves through the ground, the rainwater comes into contact with even more carbon dioxide from decaying plants and animals. Eventually, some portion of the rainwater reacts with the carbon dioxide it comes into contact with to form a weak carbonic acid ... 

Figure 7.1 Cave formations are caused when rainwater and carbon dioxide mix and form a weak carbonic acid, which then dissolves the calcium carbonate of limestone beneath the earth, allowing for cave formation. The photo shows stalactites and stalagmites and other formations at Luray Caverns in Virginia.

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