Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Autoionization of Water
Autoionization of water refers to the process where two water molecules interact to produce hydronium (H3O+) and hydroxide (OH-) ions. This reaction is essential in understanding the behavior of water as both an acid and a base, and it establishes the foundation for the pH scale, which measures the acidity or basicity of solutions.
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Chemical Equations
A chemical equation is a symbolic representation of a chemical reaction, showing the reactants and products along with their respective quantities. In the case of the autoionization of water, the equation is represented as 2 H2O ⇌ H3O+ + OH-, indicating that water can dissociate into its ionic components in a reversible manner.
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Equilibrium in Chemical Reactions
Equilibrium in chemical reactions occurs when the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are equal, resulting in constant concentrations of reactants and products. For the autoionization of water, this equilibrium is crucial as it determines the concentrations of H3O+ and OH- ions in pure water, which are both 1.0 x 10^-7 M at 25°C, leading to a neutral pH of 7.
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