Carbonates, Buffering & Alkalinity Flashcards
What is buffering?
neutralising acid
What does buffering mean for a river?
its ability to cope with reducing pH
How can the carbonate equilibrium in water equation be described as being like?
A see saw (if weighted one way it will try return to “neutral”)
What will cause pH of rain to drop? (carbonate equilibrium in water)
more CO2 pH rain drop lower as more H+ produced
What will the direction of reaction and the products be if the carbonate in water equilibrium is weighted to the right?
direction to the left
Product will be water with bubbles (CO2)
What pH will provide a stable form for carbonic acid, bicarbonate and carbonate?
Carbonic acid- 4
Bicarbonate- 8
Carbonate- 12
Why would you add bicarbonate ions if you wanted to neutralise a solution?
its stable form is close to neutral
What does ‘p’ mean? (acidity/ alkaline)
-log10
What is pKa?
-log10Ka
pH at 50% disassociation
What is the pKa of H2CO3 to HCO3?
6.4
What is the pKa of HCO3 to CO3^2-?
10.3
What does dissolution of limestone to to its surface?
Layer of solution (lubrication) will form on top making it slippy
What is pH?
net balance of equilibrium reactions
in the environment
What is alkalinity?
capacity of water to neutralise an acid
