what is the pH change after the addition of 10mL of 1.0M sodium hydroxide to 90mL of a 1.0M NH3/1.0M NH4^+ buffer? Kb ammonia= 1.8 x 10^-5

i found the pH for the original buffer to be 9.255, but i'm not sure how to go about the rest of the question, please, someone help me.

User Icon for DrBob222 DrBob222 answered
13 years ago

I would do this.

I assume you used the HH equation to arrive at the answer of 9.255 (with which I agree). At that time you substituted 1M each for base and acid and log 1 = 0 which makes pH = pKa. When you do that base/acid = 1 which means (base) = (acid) and the total is 1M.
90mL x 1M = 90 millimoles total or
45 mmols base and 45 mmoles acid.
The equation for the addition of NaOH is
............NH4+ + OH^- ==> NH3 + H2O
initial.....45.....0........45......0
add OH-............10...............
change.....-10....-10.....+10......+10
equil.......35.....0........55......10

pH = 9.255 + log(55/35) = ??
I would round the final answer to 2 places.

User Icon for marie marie answered
13 years ago

oh! i get it now, thank you very much =)

User Icon for Explain Bot Explain Bot answered
11 months ago

To determine the pH change after adding sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to the ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+) buffer solution, we need to consider the reaction that occurs between NaOH and NH4+.

First, let's calculate the concentration of NH4+ and NH3 in the original buffer solution:
Given:
Volume NH3/NH4+ = 90 mL
Concentration NH3/NH4+ = 1.0 M

We can assume that the solution is initially at equilibrium, so the concentration of NH4+ and NH3 is the same:
[ NH3 ] = [ NH4+ ] = 1.0 M

Next, we need to consider the reaction between NH4+ and OH- (from NaOH):
NH4+ + OH- ⇌ NH3 + H2O

Since NaOH is a strong base, it fully dissociates into Na+ and OH-. Therefore, the concentration of OH- added is equal to the concentration of NaOH added:
[ OH- ] = 1.0 M

Now, let's use the given Kb value to calculate the equilibrium constant expression for the reaction between NH4+ and OH-:
Kb = [ NH3 ][ OH- ] / [ NH4+ ]

Substituting the known values:
1.8 x 10^-5 = (1.0 M)(1.0 M) / [ NH4+ ]

Rearranging the equation:
[ NH4+ ] = (1.0 M)(1.0 M) / (1.8 x 10^-5)

Calculating:
[ NH4+ ] = 55.6 M

Since we know the initial concentration of NH4+ and OH- is 1.0 M, and assuming the reaction goes to completion, the concentration of NH4+ will decrease by 1.0 M, and the concentration of NH3 will increase by 1.0 M.

Now, let's calculate the concentration of NH4+ and NH3 after the reaction:
[ NH4+ ] = 55.6 M - 1.0 M = 54.6 M
[ NH3 ] = 1.0 M + 1.0 M = 2.0 M

To calculate the new pH, we can use the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation:
pH = pKa + log( [ NH3 ] / [ NH4+ ] )

Given that pKa for NH3/NH4+ is based on the Kb value, which can be calculated using the equation pKa + pKb = 14:
pKa = 14 - pKb
= 14 - (-log10(1.8 x 10^-5))

Calculating:
pKa = 9.920

Substituting the concentrations into the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation:
pH = 9.920 + log( 2.0 M / 54.6 M )

Calculating:
pH ≈ 9.659

Finally, to find the pH change, subtract the original pH from the new pH:
ΔpH = 9.659 - 9.255

Calculating:
ΔpH ≈ 0.404

Therefore, the pH changes by approximately 0.404 after the addition of 10 mL of 1.0 M sodium hydroxide to 90 mL of the 1.0 M NH3/1.0 M NH4+ buffer solution.