IChO 1994 · Theory problem 1

Lactic acid, hydrogen carbonate and calcium in blood

Lactic acid is formed in the muscles during intense activity (anaerobic metabolism). In the blood, lactic acid is neutralized by reaction with hydrogen carbonate. This will be illustrated by the following calculations:

Lactic acid written as \(\ce{HL}\) is monoprotic, and the acid dissociation constant is \(K_{\mathrm{HL}}=1.4\times10^{-4}\).

The acid dissociation constants for carbonic acid are: \(K_{a1}=4.5\times10^{-7}\) and \(K_{a2}=4.7\times10^{-11}\). All carbon dioxide remains dissolved during the reactions.

1.1 Calculate \(pH\) in a \(3.00\times10^{-3}\) M solution of \(\ce{HL}\).

1.2 Calculate the value of the equilibrium constant for the reaction between lactic acid and hydrogen carbonate.

1.3 \(3.00\times10^{-3}\) mol of lactic acid (\(\ce{HL}\)) is added to \(1.00\ \mathrm{dm^3}\) of \(0.024\) M solution of \(\ce{NaHCO3}\) (no change in volume, \(\ce{HL}\) completely neutralized).

i) Calculate the value of \(pH\) in the solution of \(\ce{NaHCO3}\) before \(\ce{HL}\) is added.

ii) Calculate the value of \(pH\) in the solution after the addition of \(\ce{HL}\).

1.4 \(pH\) in the blood of a person changed from 7.40 to 7.00 due to lactic acid formed during physical activity. Let an aqueous solution having \(pH=7.40\) and \([\ce{HCO3^-}]=0.022\) represent blood in the following calculation. How many moles of lactic acid have been added to \(1.00\ \mathrm{dm^3}\) of this solution when its \(pH\) has become 7.00?

1.5 In a saturated aqueous solution of \(\ce{CaCO3(s)}\) \(pH\) is measured to be 9.95. Calculate the solubility of calcium carbonate in water and show that the calculated value for the solubility product constant \(K_{sp}\) is \(5\times10^{-9}\).

1.6 Blood contains calcium. Determine the maximum concentration of "free" calcium ions in the solution (\(pH=7.40\), \([\ce{HCO3^-}]=0.022\)) given in 1.4.

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 1.1: \(\boxed{\mathrm{pH}=3.24}\).
  • 1.2: \(\ce{HL + HCO3^- <=> L^- + H2CO3}\), with \(\boxed{K=3.1\times10^2}\).
  • 1.3(i): \(\boxed{\mathrm{pH}=8.34}\).
  • 1.3(ii): \(\boxed{\mathrm{pH}=7.19}\).
  • 1.4: \(\boxed{n(\ce{HL})=2.4\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}}\).
  • 1.5: \(\boxed{s=1.3\times10^{-4}\ \mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}}}\); \(K_{sp}\approx4.7\times10^{-9}\), which rounds to \(\boxed{5\times10^{-9}}\).
  • 1.6: \(\boxed{[\ce{Ca^2+}]_{\max}\approx2\times10^{-4}\ \mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}}}\) (\(1.93\times10^{-4}\) before rounding).

Solution

We use dilute-solution concentration equilibria and, where required, \(K_w=1.0\times10^{-14}\). Write \(h=[\ce{H3O+}]\). For the carbonate calculations, \([\ce{H2CO3}]\) denotes the undissociated carbonic-acid component represented by the supplied \(K_{a1}\), conventionally including dissolved carbon dioxide.

The chemical species and their SMILES are:

Name and notation SMILES
Lactic acid, \(\ce{HL}\) CC(O)C(=O)O
Lactate ion, \(\ce{L^-}\) CC(O)C(=O)[O-]
Carbonic acid, \(\ce{H2CO3}\) O=C(O)O
Carbon dioxide, \(\ce{CO2}\) O=C=O
Hydrogen carbonate ion, \(\ce{HCO3^-}\) O=C(O)[O-]
Carbonate ion, \(\ce{CO3^2-}\) O=C([O-])[O-]
Water, \(\ce{H2O}\) O
Hydronium ion, \(\ce{H3O+}\) [OH3+]
Hydroxide ion, \(\ce{OH^-}\) [OH-]
Calcium ion, \(\ce{Ca^2+}\) [Ca+2]
Sodium hydrogen carbonate, \(\ce{NaHCO3}\) [Na+].O=C(O)[O-]
Calcium carbonate, \(\ce{CaCO3}\) [Ca+2].O=C([O-])[O-]

Lactic-acid stereochemistry does not affect these equilibria and is left unspecified. The disconnected salt SMILES describe ionic composition; they do not encode a crystal lattice.

1.1 — pH of lactic acid

The dissociation is

\[ \ce{HL + H2O <=> H3O+ + L^-}. \]

For initial concentration \(C=3.00\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm M\), let \(x\) dissociate. Neglecting water autoionization,

\[ [\ce{H3O+}]=[\ce{L^-}]=x,\qquad [\ce{HL}]=C-x. \]

Therefore,

\[ K_{\mathrm{HL}}=\frac{x^2}{C-x}, \]

and the positive quadratic root is

\[ x=\frac{-K_{\mathrm{HL}}+ \sqrt{K_{\mathrm{HL}}^2+4K_{\mathrm{HL}}C}}{2} =5.8184\times10^{-4}\ \mathrm M. \]

Thus

\[ \boxed{\mathrm{pH}=3.24}. \]

About \(19.4\%\) of the acid dissociates, so the approximation \(C-x\approx C\) would not be sufficiently accurate here.

1.2 — Equilibrium constant for neutralization

Add lactic-acid dissociation to the reverse of the first carbonic-acid dissociation:

\[ \ce{HL + H2O <=> H3O+ + L^-}, \]

\[ \ce{H3O+ + HCO3^- <=> H2CO3 + H2O}. \]

The balanced overall reaction is

\[ \boxed{\ce{HL + HCO3^- <=> L^- + H2CO3}}. \]

Its equilibrium constant is

\[ K= \frac{[\ce{L^-}][\ce{H2CO3}]} {[\ce{HL}][\ce{HCO3^-}]} =\frac{K_{\mathrm{HL}}}{K_{a1}} =\frac{1.4\times10^{-4}}{4.5\times10^{-7}} =\boxed{3.1\times10^2}. \]

The reaction therefore strongly favors proton transfer from lactic acid to hydrogen carbonate.

1.3(i) — pH before adding lactic acid

Hydrogen carbonate is amphiprotic. It can accept or donate a proton:

\[ \ce{HCO3^- + H2O <=> H2CO3 + OH^-}, \]

\[ \ce{HCO3^- + H2O <=> CO3^2- + H3O+}. \]

For a solution of the hydrogen carbonate salt, neglecting the small contribution of water autoionization, mass balance and electroneutrality give

\[ [\ce{H2CO3}]\approx[\ce{CO3^2-}]. \]

The two acid-dissociation expressions give

\[ K_{a1}K_{a2} = \left(\frac{h[\ce{HCO3^-}]}{[\ce{H2CO3}]}\right) \left(\frac{h[\ce{CO3^2-}]}{[\ce{HCO3^-}]}\right) \approx h^2. \]

Hence

\[ \mathrm{pH} =\frac12(pK_{a1}+pK_{a2}) =\frac12(6.3468+10.3279) =\boxed{8.34}. \]

1.3(ii) — pH after adding lactic acid

According to the stated complete-neutralization assumption, each mole of lactic acid converts one mole of hydrogen carbonate into carbonic acid:

\[ \ce{HL + HCO3^- -> L^- + H2CO3}. \]

The original amount of hydrogen carbonate is

\[ n_0=(0.024\ \mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}})(1.00\ \mathrm{dm^3}) =0.024\ \mathrm{mol}. \]

After adding \(0.00300\ \mathrm{mol}\) of lactic acid, the dominant carbonate-system concentrations are

\[ [\ce{HCO3^-}]\approx0.024-0.00300=0.021\ \mathrm M, \]

\[ [\ce{H2CO3}]\approx0.00300\ \mathrm M. \]

Using the first carbonic-acid equilibrium,

\[ \mathrm{pH} =pK_{a1}+\log_{10} \frac{[\ce{HCO3^-}]}{[\ce{H2CO3}]}, \]

so

\[ \mathrm{pH} =6.3468+\log_{10}\frac{0.021}{0.00300} =7.1919. \]

Therefore,

\[ \boxed{\mathrm{pH}=7.19}. \]

The small carbonate contribution does not change this rounded result.

1.4 — Lactic acid required to lower pH from 7.40 to 7.00

Initially,

\[ h_i=10^{-7.40}=3.9811\times10^{-8}\ \mathrm M. \]

The initial carbonic-acid concentration follows from \(K_{a1}\):

\[ [\ce{H2CO3}]_i =\frac{h_i[\ce{HCO3^-}]_i}{K_{a1}} =\frac{(3.9811\times10^{-8})(0.022)} {4.5\times10^{-7}} =1.9463\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm M. \]

At these pH values, lactic acid is essentially completely dissociated. For example, at the final pH,

\[ \frac{[\ce{L^-}]}{[\ce{HL}]} =\frac{K_{\mathrm{HL}}}{10^{-7.00}} =1.4\times10^3. \]

The carbonate fraction is also small, since

\[ \frac{[\ce{CO3^2-}]}{[\ce{HCO3^-}]} =\frac{K_{a2}}{h}\leq1.2\times10^{-3}. \]

Neglecting that small fraction, let \(x\ \mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}}\) of added lactic acid react. Because carbon dioxide remains dissolved,

\[ [\ce{HCO3^-}]_f=0.022-x, \]

\[ [\ce{H2CO3}]_f=0.0019463+x. \]

At \(\mathrm{pH}=7.00\),

\[ \frac{[\ce{HCO3^-}]_f}{[\ce{H2CO3}]_f} =\frac{K_{a1}}{h_f} =\frac{4.5\times10^{-7}}{1.0\times10^{-7}} =4.5. \]

Thus

\[ \frac{0.022-x}{0.0019463+x}=4.5, \]

\[ x=\frac{0.022-4.5(0.0019463)}{5.5} =2.4076\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}}. \]

For \(1.00\ \mathrm{dm^3}\),

\[ \boxed{n(\ce{HL})=2.4\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}}. \]

1.5 — Solubility and solubility product of calcium carbonate

Dissolution and carbonate hydrolysis occur:

\[ \ce{CaCO3(s) <=> Ca^2+ + CO3^2-}, \]

\[ \ce{CO3^2- + H2O <=> HCO3^- + OH^-}. \]

Consequently, the dissolved carbonate is distributed among three acid–base forms.

At the measured pH,

\[ h=10^{-9.95}=1.1220\times10^{-10}\ \mathrm M, \]

\[ [\ce{OH^-}]=\frac{K_w}{h} =8.9125\times10^{-5}\ \mathrm M. \]

Let

\[ a=[\ce{H2CO3}],\qquad b=[\ce{HCO3^-}],\qquad c=[\ce{CO3^2-}], \]

and let \(s\) be the molar solubility. For dissolution in pure water, the calcium and total inorganic-carbon concentrations are equal:

\[ s=[\ce{Ca^2+}]=a+b+c. \]

Electroneutrality requires

\[ 2s+h=b+2c+[\ce{OH^-}]. \]

Substituting the carbon balance gives

\[ 2a+b=[\ce{OH^-}]-h. \]

The acid equilibria give

\[ a=\frac{h}{K_{a1}}b, \qquad c=\frac{K_{a2}}{h}b. \]

Therefore,

\[ b=\frac{[\ce{OH^-}]-h}{1+2h/K_{a1}} =8.9081\times10^{-5}\ \mathrm M, \]

\[ a=\frac{h}{K_{a1}}b =2.2211\times10^{-8}\ \mathrm M, \]

\[ c=\frac{K_{a2}}{h}b =3.7315\times10^{-5}\ \mathrm M. \]

The solubility is consequently

\[ s=a+b+c =1.2642\times10^{-4}\ \mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}}, \]

or

\[ \boxed{s=1.3\times10^{-4}\ \mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}}}. \]

Finally,

\[ K_{sp}=[\ce{Ca^2+}][\ce{CO3^2-}] =(1.2642\times10^{-4})(3.7315\times10^{-5}) =4.7172\times10^{-9}. \]

Thus, to the precision stated in the problem,

\[ \boxed{K_{sp}\approx5\times10^{-9}}. \]

1.6 — Maximum free calcium-ion concentration

At \(\mathrm{pH}=7.40\), the second carbonic-acid equilibrium fixes the carbonate concentration:

\[ [\ce{CO3^2-}] =\frac{K_{a2}[\ce{HCO3^-}]}{h} =\frac{(4.7\times10^{-11})(0.022)} {10^{-7.40}} =2.5973\times10^{-5}\ \mathrm M. \]

The maximum equilibrium concentration of free calcium occurs at calcium-carbonate saturation:

\[ [\ce{Ca^2+}]_{\max}[\ce{CO3^2-}]=K_{sp}. \]

Using the problem’s rounded \(K_{sp}=5\times10^{-9}\),

\[ [\ce{Ca^2+}]_{\max} =\frac{5\times10^{-9}}{2.5973\times10^{-5}} =1.9251\times10^{-4}\ \mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}}. \]

Therefore,

\[ \boxed{[\ce{Ca^2+}]_{\max}\approx2\times10^{-4}\ \mathrm{mol\,dm^{-3}}}. \]

The solution was checked against the official solution.