Reaction 1: CaC2(s) + 2 H2O(l) ⇄ C2H2(g) + Ca(OH)2(s) Reaction 2: NaOCl(aq) + 2 HCl(aq) ⇄ Cl2(g) + N — Equilibrium Chemistry Question
Question
Reaction 1: CaC2(s) + 2 H2O(l) ⇄ C2H2(g) + Ca(OH)2(s)
Reaction 2: NaOCl(aq) + 2 HCl(aq) ⇄ Cl2(g) + NaCl(aq) + H2O(l)
Reaction 3: C2H2(g) + Cl2(g) ⇄ C2H2Cl2(g)
Ca(OH)2(s) precipitates when a 1.0 g sample of CaC2(s) (molar mass 64 g/mol) is added to 1.0 L of distilled water at room temperature. If a 0.064 g sample of CaC2(s) is used instead and all of it reacts, which of the following will occur and why? (The value of Ksp for Ca(OH)2 is 8.0 × 10^−6.)
Ca(OH)2 will precipitate because Q > Ksp.
Ca(OH)2 will precipitate because Q < Ksp.
Ca(OH)2 will not precipitate because Q > Ksp.
Ca(OH)2 will not precipitate because Q < Ksp.
💡 Solution & Explanation
STEPS:
1. Calculate the number of moles of calcium carbide () added:
* The sample mass of is , and its molar mass is .
* Use this to calculate the moles of reactant added:
2. Determine the moles of calcium hydroxide () produced:
* According to Reaction 1, the reaction of with water is:
* The stoichiometry of this reaction shows a molar ratio between the reactant consumed and the product formed.
* Therefore, the complete reaction of of yields exactly of .
3. Calculate the initial concentrations of and in the solution:
* Assume that the produced initially dissolves completely in the volume of distilled water:
* Since of is dissolved in of water, the concentration of calcium ions is:
* Because each formula unit of calcium hydroxide dissociates to release two hydroxide ions, the hydroxide concentration is:
4. Determine the reaction quotient () for the dissolution of :
* The solubility product equilibrium is:
* Write the expression for the reaction quotient :
* Substitute the calculated concentrations into the expression:
5. Compare the reaction quotient () to the solubility product constant ():
* The calculated value of is .
* The given of is (the official exam booklet lists it as ).
* Since ( or ), the ion concentrations have not reached the threshold required for saturation.
* Consequently, the solution is unsaturated, meaning no precipitate of will form, confirming Option D is correct.
*
WHY_OTHERS_WRONG:
- Option A is incorrect: This option claims a precipitate will form because . This is mathematically incorrect because our calculated reaction quotient of is several orders of magnitude smaller than the .
- Option B is incorrect: This option states that a precipitate will form because . While the comparison is correct, a precipitate only forms when the ion concentrations exceed the solubility limit (i.e., when ). An unsaturated solution () does not yield a precipitate.
- Option C is incorrect: This option correctly states that a precipitate will not form but provides an incorrect mathematical justification (). If were true, the solution would be supersaturated, and a precipitate would have to form to restore equilibrium.