Ladder Diagrams for Acid-Base Equilibria

To see how a ladder diagram is constructed, we will use the acid-base equilibrium between HF and F  

Taking the log of both sides and multiplying through by -1 gives 

Finally, replacing the negative log terms with p-functions and rearranging leaves us with 

Examining equation 6.31 tells us a great deal about the relationship between pH and the relative amounts of F and HE at equilibrium. If the concentrations of F and HE are equal, then equation 6.31 reduces to 

For concentrations of F greater than that of HE, the log term in equation 6.31 is positive and 

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