Practise using the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. What are the relative proportions of the deprotonated \(\left(A^{-}\right)\)and protonated (HA) forms of each substance at the following \(\mathrm{pH}\) values: (a) ethanoic acid \(\left(\mathrm{p} K_{\mathrm{a}}=4.8\right.\) ) for use in an experiment at pH 3.8; (b) boric acid \(\left(\mathrm{p} K_{\mathrm{a}}=9.2\right)\) for use in an experiment at pH 9.5; (a) HEPES \(\left(p K_{a}=7.5\right)\) for use in an experiment at \(\mathrm{pH}\) 8.1?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The relative proportions of the deprotonated (A-) and protonated (HA) forms for each substance at the given pH values are as follows: for ethanoic acid, the ratio is 1 to 10;for boric acid, it's 2 to 1; and for HEPES, it's 4 to 1.

Step by step solution

01

Identify given and required parameters

In this problem, the given parameters for each item are: for ethanoic acid, pKa = 4.8, pH = 3.8; for boric acid, pKa = 9.2, pH = 9.5; and for HEPES, pKa = 7.5, pH = 8.1. The required parameters for each item are the relative proportions of A- and HA, which we can find by rearranging the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation to log([A-]/[HA]) = pH - pKa.
02

Apply the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation to find [A-]/[HA] for ethanoic acid

Plugging the given values for ethanoic acid into the rearranged Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, we get log([A-]/[HA]) = 3.8 - 4.8 = -1. Therefore, [A-]/[HA] = 10^(-1) = 0.1, which means that the ratio of the deprotonated form to the protonated form for ethanoic acid is 0.1 to 1 or 1 to 10.
03

Apply the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation to find [A-]/[HA] for boric acid

Using the given values for boric acid in the rearranged Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, we find log([A-]/[HA]) = 9.5 - 9.2 = 0.3. Therefore, [A-]/[HA] = 10^(0.3) ≈ 2, which means that the ratio of the deprotonated form to the protonated form for boric acid is 2 to 1.
04

Apply the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation to find [A-]/[HA] for HEPES

With the given values for HEPES, the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation gives log([A-]/[HA]) = 8.1 - 7.5 = 0.6. Therefore, [A-]/[HA] = 10^(0.6) ≈ 4, which indicates that the ratio of the deprotonated form to the protonated form for HEPES is 4 to 1.

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