Academic Integrity: tutoring, explanations, and feedback — we don’t complete graded work or submit on a student’s behalf.

Table 1 : Information for possible unknown weak acids. Acid p K a Molar Mass (g/

ID: 488274 • Letter: T

Question

Table 1: Information for possible unknown weak acids.

Acid                                                    pKa                 Molar Mass (g/mol)

Sodium hydrogen sulfate               1.99                120.1

Fluoroacetic acid                             2.60                78.04

Chloroacetic acid                             2.87                94.49

Mandelic acid                                   3.41                152.1

Acetylsalicylic acid                          3.48                180.2

Lactic acid                                         3.86                90.08

Ascorbic acid                                     4.17                176.1

Benzoic acid                                     4.20                122.1

cis-Crotonic acid                              4.41                86.09

Succinamic acid                              4.54                117.1

Potassium hydrogen phthalate     5.40                204.2

Disodium hydrogen citrate             6.39                263.1

Sodium hydrogen sulfite                7.20                104.1

A student did the potentiometric titration (with a phenolphthalein indicator present). She saw a color change at 8.25 mL of added 0.1000 NaOH. She had started with 0.1000 g of her unknown acid. Five of her volume/ pH measurements are given below:

vol NaOH added (mL)   observed pH

2.00                                     3.71

4.12                                      4.20

8.25                                      10.18

10.00                                    11.71

12.11                                     12.02

What is the apparent pKa of her acid?

A. 3.71

B. 4.20

C. 10.18

D. 11.71

E. 12.02

Using the info from the question above. What is the apparent MM of the unknown acid? ________g/mol

Using the info from the question above. What is the apparent MM of the unknown acid? ________g/mol

Explanation / Answer

moles of NaOH used gto reach equivalence point = 0.1 M x 8.25 ml = 8.25 mmol

apparanet pKa = pH at half-equivalence point = 4.20

Apparent MW of the unknown acid = 122.1 g/mol (benzoic acid)