IChO 1988 · Theory problem 4

Photodecomposition of AgCl in chloride determination, pH of a weak-acid mixture and conditional constants

Chloride ions are analytically determined by precipitating them with silver nitrate. The precipitate is undergoing decomposition in presence of light and forms elemental silver and chlorine. In aqueous solution the latter disproportionates to chlorate(V) and chloride. With excess of silver ions, the chloride ions formed are precipitated whereas chlorate(V) ions are not.

4.1 Write the balanced equations of the reactions mentioned above.

4.2 The gravimetric determination yielded a precipitate of which 12 % by mass was decomposed by light. Determine the size and direction of the error caused by this decomposition.

4.3 Consider a solution containing two weak acids \(\ce{HA}\) and \(\ce{HL}\), 0.020 molar and 0.010 molar solutions, respectively. The acid constants are \(1\times10^{-4}\) for \(\ce{HA}\) and \(1\times10^{-7}\) for \(\ce{HL}\). Calculate the pH of the solution.

4.4 \(\ce{M}\) forms a complex \(\ce{ML}\) with the acid \(\ce{H2L}\) with the formation constant \(K_1\). The solution contains another metal ion \(\ce{N}\) that forms a complex \(\ce{NHL}\) with the acid \(\ce{H2L}\). Determine the conditional equilibrium constant, \(K_1'\) for the complex \(\ce{ML}\) in terms of \([\ce{H+}]\) and \(K\) values.

\[ K_1=\frac{[\ce{ML}]}{[\ce{M}][\ce{L}]} \]

\[ K_1'=\frac{[\ce{ML}]}{[\ce{M}'][\ce{L}']} \]

\([\ce{M}']\) = total concentration of \(\ce{M}\) not bound in \(\ce{ML}\)

\([\ce{L}']\) = the sum of the concentrations of all species containing \(\ce{L}\) except \(\ce{ML}\)

In addition to \(K_1\), the acid constants \(K_{a1}\) and \(K_{a2}\) of \(\ce{H2L}\) as well as the formation constant \(K_{\ce{NHL}}\) of \(\ce{NHL}\) are known.

\[ K_{\ce{NHL}} =\frac{[\ce{NHL}]}{[\ce{N}][\ce{L}][\ce{H+}]} \]

You may assume that the equilibrium concentration \([\ce{H+}]\) and \([\ce{N}]\) are known, too.

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 4.1 \[ \ce{Ag+(aq) + Cl-(aq) -> AgCl(s)} \] \[ \ce{2AgCl(s) ->[light] 2Ag(s) + Cl2(aq)} \] \[ \ce{3Cl2(aq) + 3H2O(l) -> ClO3-(aq) + 5Cl-(aq) + 6H+(aq)} \] The chloride formed undergoes the first reaction again.

  • 4.2 The chloride determination has a positive relative error of approximately \(7.0\%\).

  • 4.3 \[ \boxed{\mathrm{pH}\approx2.86} \]

  • 4.4 \[ \boxed{ K_1'= \frac{K_1}{ 1+\dfrac{[\ce{H+}]}{K_{a2}} +\dfrac{[\ce{H+}]^2}{K_{a1}K_{a2}} +K_{\ce{NHL}}[\ce{N}][\ce{H+}] }} \]

Solution

4.1 — Precipitation, photodecomposition and disproportionation

Silver nitrate supplies silver(I) ions, which precipitate chloride as silver chloride:

\[ \ce{Ag+(aq) + Cl-(aq) -> AgCl(s)} \]

Nitrate is a spectator ion. Light causes reduction of silver(I) to silver metal and oxidation of chloride to chlorine:

\[ \ce{2AgCl(s) ->[light] 2Ag(s) + Cl2(aq)} \]

In the stipulated disproportionation, chlorine changes from oxidation state \(0\) to \(+5\) in chlorate(V) and to \(-1\) in chloride. One chlorine atom undergoing oxidation therefore supplies the electrons needed to reduce five chlorine atoms. Balancing oxygen, hydrogen and charge gives

\[ \ce{3Cl2(aq) + 3H2O(l) -> ClO3-(aq) + 5Cl-(aq) + 6H+(aq)}. \]

The five chloride ions are then reprecipitated:

\[ \ce{5Ag+(aq) + 5Cl-(aq) -> 5AgCl(s)}. \]

Thus, every six moles of silver chloride photodecomposed produce six moles of silver metal and, subsequently, five moles of newly precipitated silver chloride.

The names and SMILES of the specified substances are:

Species SMILES
Silver(I) ion, \(\ce{Ag+}\) [Ag+]
Chloride ion, \(\ce{Cl-}\) [Cl-]
Silver nitrate, \(\ce{AgNO3}\) [Ag+].[O-][N+](=O)[O-]
Nitrate ion, \(\ce{NO3-}\) [O-][N+](=O)[O-]
Silver chloride, \(\ce{AgCl}\) [Ag+].[Cl-]
Elemental silver, \(\ce{Ag}\) [Ag]
Chlorine, \(\ce{Cl2}\) ClCl
Water, \(\ce{H2O}\) O
Chlorate(V) ion, \(\ce{ClO3-}\) [O-][Cl](=O)=O
Hydrogen ion, \(\ce{H+}\) [H+]

The salt SMILES represent ionic composition, not crystal lattices; [Ag] represents a silver atom, not the metallic lattice. Aqueous solvation and resonance averaging are also not shown.

4.2 — Gravimetric error

Take \(100\ \mathrm{g}\) of the original silver chloride precipitate. Photodecomposition consumes \(12\ \mathrm{g}\), leaving \(88\ \mathrm{g}\) unchanged.

Using the standard molar masses

\[ M(\ce{Ag})=107.87\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}, \qquad M(\ce{AgCl})=143.32\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}, \]

the silver metal produced has mass

\[ m(\ce{Ag}) =12\ \mathrm{g}\times\frac{107.87}{143.32} =9.032\ \mathrm{g}. \]

From 4.1, five-sixths of the chloride released by photodecomposition returns as silver chloride. Consequently,

\[ m(\text{new }\ce{AgCl}) =\frac56(12\ \mathrm{g}) =10\ \mathrm{g}. \]

The final solid therefore weighs

\[ m_{\mathrm{final}} =88+9.032+10 =107.032\ \mathrm{g}. \]

In the gravimetric calculation, this entire mass is treated as silver chloride. Since the same gravimetric conversion factor is applied to the original and final masses,

\[ \begin{aligned} \text{relative error} &=\frac{m_{\mathrm{Cl,found}}-m_{\mathrm{Cl,true}}} {m_{\mathrm{Cl,true}}}\times100\%\\ &=\frac{107.032-100}{100}\times100\%\\ &=+7.032\%. \end{aligned} \]

Thus,

\[ \boxed{\text{The chloride content is overestimated by approximately }7.0\%.} \]

The mass increases because reprecipitation incorporates additional silver ions from the solution into the solid.

4.3 — pH of the weak-acid mixture

The equilibria are

\[ \ce{HA <=> H+ + A-}, \qquad \ce{HL <=> H+ + L-}. \]

Let \(h=[\ce{H+}]\). Combining each acid’s dissociation equilibrium with its material balance gives

\[ [\ce{A-}] =\frac{0.020K_{a,\ce{HA}}}{h+K_{a,\ce{HA}}}, \qquad [\ce{L-}] =\frac{0.010K_{a,\ce{HL}}}{h+K_{a,\ce{HL}}}. \]

Neglecting water autoionization, electroneutrality requires

\[ h=[\ce{A-}]+[\ce{L-}]. \]

Using concentrations in \(\mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}\), the equation to solve is therefore

\[ h= \frac{0.020(10^{-4})}{h+10^{-4}} + \frac{0.010(10^{-7})}{h+10^{-7}}. \]

The stronger acid dominates. Ignoring the weaker acid initially gives the quadratic

\[ h^2+10^{-4}h-0.020(10^{-4})=0, \]

whose positive root is

\[ h_0= \frac{-10^{-4}+\sqrt{(10^{-4})^2+4(0.020)(10^{-4})}}{2} =1.36510\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}. \]

Solving the equation including both acids gives

\[ h=1.36548\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}. \]

At this concentration,

\[ [\ce{A-}]=1.36474\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}, \qquad [\ce{L-}]=7.32\times10^{-7}\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}, \]

confirming that the weaker acid contributes very little additional hydrogen ion.

Hence, using the usual dilute-solution concentration approximation,

\[ \boxed{ \mathrm{pH} =-\log_{10}(1.36548\times10^{-3}) =2.8647\approx2.86. } \]

4.4 — Conditional formation constant

Use the charge-suppressed ligand notation of the question and write \(h=[\ce{H+}]\). The two acid dissociation constants are

\[ K_{a1}=\frac{h[\ce{HL}]}{[\ce{H2L}]}, \qquad K_{a2}=\frac{h[\ce{L}]}{[\ce{HL}]}. \]

Thus,

\[ [\ce{HL}]=\frac{h}{K_{a2}}[\ce{L}], \qquad [\ce{H2L}]=\frac{h^2}{K_{a1}K_{a2}}[\ce{L}]. \]

The given competing-complex formation constant yields

\[ [\ce{NHL}] =K_{\ce{NHL}}[\ce{N}]h[\ce{L}]. \]

All ligand-containing species except \(\ce{ML}\) must be included in \([\ce{L}']\):

\[ \begin{aligned} [\ce{L}'] &=[\ce{L}]+[\ce{HL}]+[\ce{H2L}]+[\ce{NHL}]\\ &=[\ce{L}] \left( 1+\frac{h}{K_{a2}} +\frac{h^2}{K_{a1}K_{a2}} +K_{\ce{NHL}}[\ce{N}]h \right). \end{aligned} \]

No other species containing \(\ce{M}\) are specified, so

\[ [\ce{M}']=[\ce{M}]. \]

Substitution into the definition of the conditional constant gives

\[ \begin{aligned} K_1' &=\frac{[\ce{ML}]}{[\ce{M}'][\ce{L}']}\\ &=\frac{[\ce{ML}]}{[\ce{M}][\ce{L}]} \frac{[\ce{L}]}{[\ce{L}']}. \end{aligned} \]

Therefore,

\[ \boxed{ K_1'= \frac{K_1}{ 1+\dfrac{[\ce{H+}]}{K_{a2}} +\dfrac{[\ce{H+}]^2}{K_{a1}K_{a2}} +K_{\ce{NHL}}[\ce{N}][\ce{H+}] }. } \]

Protonation and formation of \(\ce{NHL}\) both reduce the fraction of the available ligand present as free \(\ce{L}\).

The acids, conjugate bases, metals and complexes in 4.3–4.4 are generic symbols rather than specified chemical identities. Unique chemical names and SMILES cannot be assigned to them from the supplied information; the coordination geometries of \(\ce{ML}\) and \(\ce{NHL}\) are likewise unspecified.

The solution was checked against the official solution. Where this solution differs from the official solution, the official solution contains an error or a misprint.