AP* Chemistry
Solubility Equilibrium
SOLUBILITY EQUILIBRIA (The Solubiliy-Product Constant, Ksp)
We’ve got good news and we’ve got bad news…
The good news: Solubility equilibrium is really simple.
The bad news: You know all those solubility rules that state a substance is insoluble? They are
actually a bit soluble after all. Only the future attorneys among you read the fine print. Soluble
is often defined as greater than 3 grams dissolving in 100 mL of water. So, there is a lot of
wiggle room for solubility up to 3 grams! This type of equilibria deals with that wiggle room.
If you can actually see that a salt is insoluble, then the solution is actually saturated. Saturated
solutions of salts present yet another type of chemical equilibria.
¾ Slightly soluble salts establish a dynamic equilibrium with the hydrated cations and
anions in solution.
• When the solid is first added to water, no ions are initially present.
• As dissolution proceeds, the concentration of ions increases until equilibrium is
established. This occurs when the solution is saturated.
• The equilibrium constant, the Ksp, is no more than the product of the ions in
solution. (Remember, solids do not appear in equilibrium expressions.)
• For a saturated solution of AgCl, the equation would be:
AgCl(s) RAg+(aq) + Cl−(aq)
• The solubility product expression would be:
Ksp = [Ag+][Cl−]
• The AgCl(s) does not appear in the equilibrium expression since solids are left
out. Why? The concentration of the solid remains relatively constant.
A table of Ksp values follows on the next page.
*AP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this
product.© 2008 by René McCormick. All rights reserved
Write the Ksp expression for each of the following reactions and find its value in the table above.
CaF2(s) R Ca+2 + 2 F− Ksp =
Ag2SO4(s) R 2 Ag+ + SO42− Ksp =
Bi2S3(s) R 2 Bi+3 + 3 S2− Ksp =
DETERMINING Ksp FROM EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS
¾ In practice, Ksp values are determined by careful laboratory measurements using various
spectroscopic methods.
Remember STOICHIOMETRY!!
Solubility Equilibria 2
Example: Lead(II) chloride dissolves to a slight extent in water according to the equation below.
PbCl2(s) R Pb+2 + 2Cl−
Calculate the Ksp if the lead ion concentration has been found to be 1.62 × 10−2M.
If lead’s concentration is x, then chloride’s concentration is 2x. So. . . .
Ksp = (1.62 × 10−2)(3.24 × 10−2)2 = 1.70 × 10−5
Exercise 1 Calculating Ksp from Solubility I
Copper(I) bromide has a measured solubility of 2.0 × 10−4 mol/L at 25°C. Calculate its Ksp
value.
Ksp = 4.0 × 10−8
Exercise 2 Calculating Ksp from Solubility II
Calculate the Ksp value for bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3), which has a solubility of
1.0 × 10−15 mol/L at 25°C.
Ksp = 1.1 × 10−73
Solubility Equilibria 3
ESTIMATING SALT SOLUBILITY FROM Ksp
Relative solubilities can be deduced by comparing values of Ksp BUT, BE CAREFUL!
These comparisons can only be made for salts having the same ION:ION ratio.
Please don’t forget solubility changes with temperature! Some substances become less
soluble in cold water while other increase in solubility! Aragonite is an example.
Example: The Ksp for CaCO3 is 3.8 × 10−9 @ 25°C. Calculate the solubility of calcium
carbonate in pure water in (a) moles per liter & (b) grams per liter:
Exercise 3 Calculating Solubility from Ksp
The Ksp value for copper(II) iodate, Cu(IO3)2, is 1.4 × 10−7 at 25°C.
Calculate its solubility at 25°C.
= 3.3 × 10−3 mol/L
Exercise 4 Solubility and Common Ions
Calculate the solubility of solid CaF2 (Ksp = 4.0 × 10−11) in a 0.025 M NaF solution.
= 6.4 × 10-8 mol/L
Solubility Equilibria 4
Ksp AND THE REACTION QUOTIENT, Q
With some knowledge of the reaction quotient, we can decide
whether a precipitate (ppt) will form AND
what concentrations of ions are required to begin the precipitation of an insoluble salt.
1. Q < Ksp, the system is not at equil. (unsaturated)
2. Q = Ksp, the system is at equil. (saturated)
3. Q > Ksp, the system is not at equil. (supersaturated)
Precipitates form when the solution is supersaturated!!!
Precipitation of insoluble salts
Metal-bearing ores often contain the metal in the form of an insoluble salt, and, to
complicate matters, the ores often contain several such metal salts.
Dissolve the metal salts to obtain the metal ion, concentrate in some manner, and ppt.
selectively only one type of metal ion as an insoluble salt.
Exercise 5 Determining Precipitation Conditions
A solution is prepared by adding 750.0 mL of 4.00 × 10−3 M Ce(NO3)3 to 300.0 mL of
2.00 × 10−2 M KIO3. Will Ce(IO3)3 (Ksp = 1.9 × 10−10) precipitate from this solution?
yes
Solubility Equilibria 5
Exercise 6 Precipitation
A solution is prepared by mixing 150.0 mL of 1.00 × 10-2 M Mg(NO3)2 and 250.0 mL of
1.00 × 10−1 M NaF. Calculate the concentrations of Mg2+ and F− at equilibrium with solid
MgF2 (Ksp = 6.4 × 10−9).
[Mg2+] = 2.1 × 10-6 M
[F-] = 5.50 × 10-2 M
SOLUBILITY AND THE COMMON ION EFFECT
¾ Experiments show that the solubility of any salt is always
less in the presence of a “common ion”.
¾ Why? LeChatelier’s Principle, that’s why! Be reasonable
and use approximations when you can.
¾ The pH can also affect solubility. Evaluate the equation to
see which species reacts with the addition of acid or base.
¾ Would magnesium hydroxide be more soluble in an acid or
a base? Why?
Mg(OH)2(s) R Mg2+(aq) + 2 OH−(aq) (milk of magnesia)
Solubility Equilibria 6
SOLUBILITY, ION SEPARATIONS, AND QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
This section will introduce you to the basic chemistry
of various ions.
It also illustrates how principles of chemical
equilibria can be applied in the laboratory.
Objective: Separate the following metal ions from an
aqueous sample containing ions of silver, lead,
cadmium and nickel
¾ From your knowledge of solubility rules, you
know that chlorides of lead and silver will form
precipitates while those of nickel and cadmium
will not. Adding dilute HCl to sample will ppt.
the lead and silver ions while the nickel and
cadmium will stay in solution.
¾ Separate the lead and silver precipitates from the solution by filtration. Heating the
solution causes some of the lead chloride to dissolve. Filtering the HOT sample will
separate the lead (in the filtrate) from the silver (solid remaining in funnel with filter
paper).
¾ Separating cadmium and nickel ions require precipitation with sulfur. Use the Ksp values
to determine which ion will precipitate first as an aqueous solution of sulfide ion is added
to the portion of the sample that still contains these ions. Which precipitates first?
Exercise 7 Selective Precipitation
A solution contains 1.0 × 10−4 M Cu+ and 2.0 × 10−3 M Pb2+. If a source of I- is added gradually
to this solution, will PbI2 (Ksp = 1.4 × 10−8) or CuI (Ksp = 5.3 × 10−12) precipitate first?
Specify the concentration of I− necessary to begin precipitation of each salt.
CuI will precipitate first
Concentration in excess of 5.3 × 10-8 M required
Solubility Equilibria 7
SOLUBILITY AND COMPLEX IONS
¾ The formation of complex ions can often
dissolve otherwise insoluble salts.
¾ Often as the complex ion forms, the solubility
equilibrium shifts to the right (away from the
solid) and causes the insoluble salt to become
more soluble.
Example: If sufficient aqueous ammonia is added to silver chloride, the
latter can be dissolved as [Ag(NH3)2]+ forms.
AgCl (s) R Ag+ (aq) + Cl− (aq) Ksp = 1.8 × 10−10
Ag+ (aq) + 2 NH3 (aq) R [Ag(NH3)2]+ (aq) Kformation = 1.6 × 107
Add these two equations together and determine the new K value.
SUM: AgCl (s) + 2 NH3 (aq) R [Ag(NH3)2]+ (aq) + + Cl− (aq)
K = Ksp × Kformation = 2.9 × 10−3 = {[Ag(NH3)2+}[Cl−]
[NH3]2
That is a significant improvement with regard to the solubility of AgCl(s). The equilibrium
constant for dissolving silver chloride in ammonia is not large, but, if the concentration of
ammonia is sufficiently high, the complex ion and chloride ion must also be high, and silver
chloride will dissolve. Of course, this process is quite smelly!
Exercise 8 Complex Ions
Calculate the concentrations of Ag+, Ag(S2O3)−, and Ag(S2O3)23− in a solution prepared by
mixing 150.0 mL of 1.00 × 10−3 M AgNO3 with 200.0 mL of 5.00 M Na2S2O3. The stepwise
formation equilibria are:
Ag+ + S2O32− R Ag(S2O3)− K1 = 7.4 × 108
Ag(S2O3)− + S2O32− R Ag(S2O3)23- K2 = 3.9 × 104
[Ag+] = 1.8 × 10-18 M
[Ag(S2O3) -] = 3.8 × 10-9 M
Solubility Equilibria 8
