How can I calculate the dissociation of an acid?

Question

Avery Adams · Accepted Answer

The dissociation of a strong acid is easy, it will be nearly 100%.

Here is a video discussion of dissociation of strong acids and bases.

For a weak acid: To do this you'll need to use the Ka value of the acid and determine the equilibrium expression of the dissociation of that acid. Using the quadratic equation allows you to solve for the hydrogen ion concentration if you are given the initial concentration of the acid and the Ka value.

I'm including a video which discusses how to work with the dissociation of #HNO_2# with a concentration of 0.100M and a Ka value of 6.0 x #10^-4#

Serenity Allen · Answer

undefined To calculate the dissociation of an acid, you can use the formula for the dissociation constant (Ka). The equation is:

Ka = [H+][A-] / [HA]

Where:
- Ka is the acid dissociation constant.
- [H+] is the concentration of hydronium ions.
- [A-] is the concentration of the conjugate base.
- [HA] is the concentration of the undissociated acid.

You can measure the concentrations of hydronium ions, conjugate base, and undissociated acid, then plug them into the equation to find the Ka value. Alternatively, if you know the Ka value and the concentration of the undissociated acid, you can rearrange the equation to solve for the concentration of hydronium ions and conjugate base.