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Solubility Product Constant (Ksp) quiz

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  • What does the solubility product constant (Ksp) represent?
    Ksp is the equilibrium constant that measures the solubility of ionic solids in a solvent; higher Ksp means greater solubility.
  • How does the value of Ksp relate to the solubility of an ionic solid?
    A higher Ksp value indicates the ionic solid is more soluble, while a lower Ksp means it is less soluble.
  • What are the two competing processes when an ionic solid is placed in a solvent?
    The two processes are dissolution (solid breaking into ions) and reformation (ions recombining to form the solid).
  • How do you write the equilibrium equation for the dissolution of an ionic solid?
    Break the solid into its constituent ions, showing each ion as aqueous in the equation.
  • What is ignored in the equilibrium expression for Ksp?
    Solids and liquids are ignored in the equilibrium expression; only aqueous ions are included.
  • How do you set up the Ksp expression for a generic ionic solid AB2?
    Ksp = [A^2+][B^-]^2, where the concentrations are raised to the power of their coefficients.
  • What is the first step in calculating Ksp from solubility?
    Write the equilibrium equation by breaking the solid into its aqueous ions.
  • How do you relate the coefficients in the equilibrium equation to ion concentrations?
    Multiply the solubility (x) by the coefficient for each ion to get its concentration.
  • In the example of Ag3PO4, what is the Ksp expression?
    Ksp = [Ag^+]^3[PO4^3-], with [Ag^+] = 3x and [PO4^3-] = x.
  • How do you solve for Ksp once you have the ion concentrations in terms of x?
    Substitute the solubility value for x and calculate the Ksp using the algebraic expression.
  • What is the calculated Ksp for Ag3PO4 with a solubility of 1.8 × 10^-18 M?
    Ksp = 2.8 × 10^-70, using the expression 27x^4 and substituting the solubility value.
  • How do you find the solubility of an ionic solid if Ksp is known?
    Set up the equilibrium equation and Ksp expression, then solve for the solubility variable x.
  • What is the Ksp expression for SrF2?
    Ksp = [Sr^2+][F^-]^2, with [Sr^2+] = x and [F^-] = 2x.
  • How do you solve for x (solubility) in the SrF2 example with Ksp = 7.9 × 10^-10?
    Set up the equation 7.9 × 10^-10 = 4x^3, then solve for x by dividing by 4 and taking the cube root.
  • What is the final solubility in molarity for SrF2 with Ksp = 7.9 × 10^-10?
    The solubility is 5.8 × 10^-4 M, found by solving x^3 = 1.975 × 10^-10 and taking the cube root.