What is the effect of temperature and concentration on acid disociation constant?

1 Answer
Jun 4, 2018

Well, equilibrium constants are generally INDEPENDENT of concentration...

Explanation:

...however, we would expect that for weak acids, HX, whose protonolysis reaction we would represent as the equilibrium ...

HX(aq)+H_2O(l)rightleftharpoonsH_3O^+ + X^-

Now this is a BOND-BREAKING reaction...i.e. we break the H-X bond....and we expect that if we supply heat, we should drive the equilibrium to the right. And so let us look at some data..

2H_2O(l) rightleftharpoonsH_3O^+ + HO^- K_a=10^-14 at 298*K...

According to this site pK_a=6.63 at 50 ""^@C, and pK_a=6.14 at 100 ""^@C. Perhaps you could work out values for K_a at each temperature. Are these data in accord with our prediction? Why or why not?