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Nitric acid is normally considered to be a strong acid at ambient temperatures. There is some disagreement over the value of the acid dissociation constant, though the pK a value is usually reported as less than −1. This means that the nitric acid in diluted solution is fully dissociated except in extremely acidic solutions.
For example, acetic acid is a weak acid which has a = 1.75 x 10 −5. Its conjugate base is the acetate ion with K b = 10 −14 /K a = 5.7 x 10 −10 (from the relationship K a × K b = 10 −14), which certainly does not correspond to a strong base. The conjugate of a weak acid is often a weak base and vice versa.
For example, aqueous perchloric acid (HClO 4), aqueous hydrochloric acid (HCl) and aqueous nitric acid (HNO 3) are all completely ionized, and are all equally strong acids. [ 3 ] Similarly, when ammonia is the solvent, the strongest acid is ammonium (NH 4 + ), thus HCl and a super acid exert the same acidifying effect.
A buffer solution of a desired pH can be prepared as a mixture of a weak acid and its conjugate base. In practice, the mixture can be created by dissolving the acid in water, and adding the requisite amount of strong acid or base. When the pK a and analytical concentration of the acid are known, the extent of dissociation and pH of a solution ...
One use of conjugate acids and bases lies in buffering systems, which include a buffer solution. In a buffer, a weak acid and its conjugate base (in the form of a salt), or a weak base and its conjugate acid, are used in order to limit the pH change during a titration process. Buffers have both organic and non-organic chemical applications.
Commonly used mineral acids are sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4), hydrochloric acid (HCl) and nitric acid (HNO 3); these are also known as bench acids. [1] Mineral acids range from superacids (such as perchloric acid) to very weak ones (such as boric acid). Mineral acids tend to be very soluble in water and insoluble in organic solvents.
Acetic acid is an example of a weak acid. The pH of the neutralized solution resulting from HA + OH − → H 2 O + A −. is not close to 7, as with a strong acid, but depends on the acid dissociation constant, K a, of the acid. The pH at the end-point or equivalence point in a titration may be calculated as follows.
In dilute aqueous solution, the predominant acid species is the hydrated hydrogen ion H 3 O + (or more accurately [H(OH 2) n] +).In this case H 0 and H − are equivalent to pH values determined by the buffer equation or Henderson-Hasselbalch equation.