IChO 1984 · Theory problem 3

Spectrophotometric determination of the pKa of a coloured weak acid

A weak acid of total concentration \(2 \times 10^{-2}\ \mathrm{M}\) is dissolved in a buffer of pH = 8.8. The anion \(\ce{A^-}\) of this acid is coloured and has a molar decadic absorption coefficient \(\varepsilon\) of \(2.1 \times 10^4\ \mathrm{cm^2\,mol^{-1}}\). A layer \(l\) of the solution with 1.0 cm thickness absorbs 60 percent of the incident luminous intensity \(I_o\).

3.1 What is the equation relating the extinction to the thickness of the absorbing layer?

3.2 How large is the concentration of the acid anion in the buffer solution?

3.3 How large is the \(\mathrm{p}K_a\) of the acid?

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 3.1 \(\displaystyle E=\log_{10}\!\left(\frac{I_o}{I}\right)=\varepsilon cl\), with \(c=[\ce{A^-}]\) in \(\mathrm{mol\,cm^{-3}}\) when using the stated units of \(\varepsilon\).
  • 3.2 \(\displaystyle [\ce{A^-}]\approx1.9\times10^{-2}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}\).
  • 3.3 \(\displaystyle \mathrm{p}K_a\approx7.5\) (calculated value \(7.54\)).

Solution

3.1

The Beer–Lambert law relates the extinction (absorbance), \(E\), to the absorbing species’ concentration \(c\) and the optical path length \(l\):

\[ \boxed{E=\log_{10}\!\left(\frac{I_o}{I}\right)=\varepsilon cl}. \]

Equivalently,

\[ I=I_o\,10^{-\varepsilon cl}. \]

Here \(I_o\) and \(I\) are the incident and transmitted luminous intensities. With \(\varepsilon\) in \(\mathrm{cm^2\,mol^{-1}}\) and \(l\) in \(\mathrm{cm}\), concentration must be expressed in \(\mathrm{mol\,cm^{-3}}\), making \(E\) dimensionless.

3.2

Since 60 percent of the incident intensity is absorbed, 40 percent is transmitted:

\[ \frac{I}{I_o}=0.40, \qquad E=-\log_{10}(0.40)=0.397940. \]

Therefore,

\[ [\ce{A^-}] =\frac{E}{\varepsilon l} =\frac{0.397940} {(2.1\times10^4\ \mathrm{cm^2\,mol^{-1}}) (1.0\ \mathrm{cm})} =1.89495\times10^{-5}\ \mathrm{mol\,cm^{-3}}. \]

Using \(1\ \mathrm{L}=10^3\ \mathrm{cm^3}\),

\[ \boxed{[\ce{A^-}]=1.89495\times10^{-2}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}} \approx1.9\times10^{-2}\ \mathrm{M}}. \]

3.3

Denote the undissociated weak acid by \(\ce{HA}\) and its conjugate base by \(\ce{A^-}\). Their molecular structures are unspecified, so specific chemical names and SMILES cannot be assigned.

The acid dissociation equilibrium is

\[ \ce{HA <=> H+ + A^-}, \]

where \(\ce{H+}\) is the hydrogen ion, [H+]. In the concentration approximation,

\[ K_a=\frac{[\ce{H+}][\ce{A^-}]}{[\ce{HA}]}. \]

The analytical concentration gives the mass balance

\[ [\ce{HA}]+[\ce{A^-}]=2.0\times10^{-2}\ \mathrm{M}. \]

Retaining extra digits during the subtraction,

\[ [\ce{HA}] =0.0200000-0.0189495 =1.05048\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{M}. \]

Taking logarithms of the equilibrium expression gives

\[ \mathrm{pH} =\mathrm{p}K_a+\log_{10}\!\left(\frac{[\ce{A^-}]}{[\ce{HA}]}\right). \]

Thus,

\[ \begin{aligned} \mathrm{p}K_a &=8.8-\log_{10}\!\left( \frac{1.89495\times10^{-2}} {1.05048\times10^{-3}}\right)\\ &=8.8-\log_{10}(18.039)\\ &=7.5438. \end{aligned} \]

Hence, to a precision consistent with the supplied data,

\[ \boxed{\mathrm{p}K_a\approx7.5}. \]

The solution was checked against the official solution.