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Ch.18 - Aqueous Ionic Equilibrium
Chapter 18, Problem 100

The solubility of copper(I) chloride is 3.91 mg per 100.0 mL of solution. Calculate Ksp for CuCl.

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1
Convert the solubility of copper(I) chloride from mg/100 mL to mol/L by dividing the mass by the molar mass of CuCl and then converting to liters.
Write the dissolution equation for copper(I) chloride: \( \text{CuCl(s)} \rightleftharpoons \text{Cu}^+ (aq) + \text{Cl}^- (aq) \).
Determine the molar concentration of \( \text{Cu}^+ \) and \( \text{Cl}^- \) ions in the solution, which will be equal to the solubility in mol/L since the stoichiometry is 1:1.
Write the expression for the solubility product constant \( K_{sp} \) for CuCl: \( K_{sp} = [\text{Cu}^+][\text{Cl}^-] \).
Substitute the molar concentrations of \( \text{Cu}^+ \) and \( \text{Cl}^- \) into the \( K_{sp} \) expression to calculate the solubility product.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Solubility Product Constant (Ksp)

The solubility product constant (Ksp) is an equilibrium constant that applies to the solubility of sparingly soluble ionic compounds. It is defined as the product of the molar concentrations of the ions, each raised to the power of their coefficients in the balanced equation. For copper(I) chloride (CuCl), Ksp can be calculated from the concentrations of Cu+ and Cl- ions in a saturated solution.
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Dissociation of Ionic Compounds

Ionic compounds dissociate into their constituent ions when dissolved in water. For CuCl, it dissociates into one Cu+ ion and one Cl- ion. Understanding this dissociation is crucial for calculating Ksp, as the concentrations of these ions directly influence the solubility product.
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Concentration Calculations

To calculate Ksp, it is essential to convert the solubility from mg per 100.0 mL to molarity (mol/L). This involves determining the molar mass of CuCl and using the solubility value to find the concentration of Cu+ and Cl- ions in the solution. Accurate concentration calculations are fundamental for deriving the Ksp value.
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