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Topic: pH .4 M H3PO3  (Read 6954 times)

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Offline poca

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pH .4 M H3PO3
« on: October 11, 2011, 07:05:07 PM »
I did
ka=3x10^-2 = [H3o][H2PO3] / [H3PO3] so  x^2 / .4 - x = 3x10^-2
I made that into a quadratic and solved it.
for x = h30 = .1152
pH= -log .1152
pH=.939

Offline Borek

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Re: pH .4 M H3PO3
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2011, 02:51:40 AM »
1st dissociation constant for phosphoric acid is not 0.03. But even if it was, 0.1152M would be not correct solution of the quadratic.

x^2 / .4 - x = 3x10^-2

There are no parentheses in the denominator, so what you wrote is ambiguous. There are chances it is a correct approach.
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Offline AWK

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Re: pH .4 M H3PO3
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2011, 09:15:05 AM »
Many sources give Ka for phosphorous acid (H3PO3) as 0.03.

Check your calculations with web pH calculator eg: http://www.webqc.org/phsolver.php
AWK

Offline poca

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Re: pH .4 M H3PO3
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2011, 06:24:03 PM »
ok,  (x^2) / (.4-x) = .03
quadratic is x^2 + .03x - .012
x = .095566
pH = 1.0197

Offline Borek

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Re: pH .4 M H3PO3
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2011, 02:38:54 AM »
Much better now.

I would report as 1.02, and even that would be way too many digits.
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