Question

Given a liter of pure water and a liter solution of acetic acid, what would happen to the pH, in general, if you added 0.1mol of a strong acid to each? Use the reaction from question 3 to explain the results.

Short answer

The pH of water changes drastically when the strong acid of 0.01 M is added to it. Acetic acid pH will decrease slowly since it is a weak acid.

Step-by-step solution

Description of water

Water is a neutral liquid that has a pH range of 7. The property of water is colorless fluid. The boiling point of water is a hundred degrees Celsius, and the freezing point of water is zero degrees Celsius.

Description of pH

Hydrogen ions are the key factors that are predicted in pH analysis. It is estimated by calculating the negative hydrogen ion concentration. The pH range varies, usually from 0to 14.

Change in pH due to the addition of strong acid.

The change in pH of water occurs drastically since it is a neutral liquid—the pH of water changes from 7 to 2 by adding 0.01M of strong acid. Finally, the water becomes acidic.

The addition of the same acid to the acetic does not significantly differ from water since it is a weak acid that tends to decrease pH very slowly.

The base tends to accept the incoming hydrogen from the added acid and forms acetic acid. So, there is a change in pH, which occurs slowly, contrary to the pH change in water.