Acid-base chemistry is one of the most challenging topics for General Chemistry students. Within this topic, the acid-base properties of salt solutions is the most difficult to understand and master. Here, we report on a new experiment that allows the students to gain a deeper understanding of the acid-base properties of aqueous salt solutions. In this laboratory experiment, students prepare several aqueous salt solutions, measure their pH’s, and interpret these pH values based on the hydrolysis reactions of the cations and anions present in the salt solutions. The students calculate the theoretical pH values, compare them to the experimentally obtained pH’s, and use the pH values to calculate the hydrolysis constants of the conjugate acid-base pairs. A comparison to the hydrolysis constant literature values is made to ascertain the quality of their measurements. The students’ results from several laboratory sections are presented and discussed.

Understanding acid-base chemistry of aqueous salt solutions: A general chemistry laboratory experiment

254th National Meeting (2017)

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