Common Ion Effect
Introduction
The common-ion effect is used to describe the effect on an equilibrium involving a
substance that adds an ion that is a part of the equilibrium. Adding a common ion
prevents the weak acid or weak base from ionizing as much as it would without the
added common ion. LeChatelier's Principle states that if an equilibrium gets out of
balance it will shift to restore the balance. If a common ion is added to a weak acid or
weak base equilibrium, then the equilibrium will shift towards the reactants, in this case
the weak acid or base.
Common Ion Effect on Weak Acids and Bases
The common ion effect suppresses the ionization of a weak acid by adding more of an
ion that is a product of this equilibrium.
EXAMPLE
The common ion effect of H3O+ on the ionization of acetic acid:
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The common ion effect suppresses the ionization of a weak base by adding more of an
ion that is a product of this equilibrium.
EXAMPLE
The common ion effect of OH- on the ionization of ammonia:
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Thefore, adding the common ion of hydroxide, shifts the reaction towards the left to
decrease the stress (Le Chatelier's Principle), forming more reactants. This decreases
the reaction quotient, for the reaction is being pushed towards the left to reach
equilibrium. The equilibrium constant, Kb=1.8*10-5, does not change. The reaction is put
out of balance, or equilibrium.
QA= ((NH4+)(OH-))/(NH3)
At first, when more hydroxide is added, the quotient is greater than the equilibrium
constant. The reaction then shifts right, causing the denominator to increase,
decreasing the reaction quotient and pulling towards equilibrium and causing Q to
decrease towards K.
Common Ion Effect on Solubility
Adding a common ion decreases solublity, as the reaction will shift towards the left to
relieve the stress of the excess product. So, adding common ion to a dissociation,
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causes the equilibrium to shift left, towards the reactants, causing precipitation. (Also
see: Common Ion Effect on Solubility Product Constant ).
EXAMPLE
Consider the reaction:
PbCl2(s) <-----> Pb2+(aq) + 2Cl-(aq)
What happens to the solubility of PbCl2(s) when you add .1M NaCl?
Ksp=1.7*10-5 Qsp= 1.8*10-5
Identify the common ion: Cl-
Notice: Qsp > Ksp The addition of NaCl has caused the reaction to shift out of equilibrium
since there are more ions dissociated.
Typically, the solve for the molarities of the following reactions you would do the
following assume the solubility of PbCl2 to be equivalent to the concentration of Pb2+
produced because they are in a 1:1 ratio.
Since Ksp for the reaction is 1.7*10-5, the overall reaction would be (s)(2s)^2= 1.7*10^-5.
Solving for s, you would get, s= 1.62*10-2 M. The coefficient on Cl- is 2, so it is assumed
that twice as much Cl- is produced as Pb2+, hence the '2s.' You use the solubility
equilibrium constant to solve for the molarities of the ions at equilibrium.
Now let's go back to the common ion being added to the reaction at equilibrium. The
molarity of Cl- added would be .1M because Na+ and Cl- are in a 1:1 ration in the ionic
salt, NaCl. Therefore, the OVERALL molarity of Cl- would be 2s+.1, with 2s being the
contribution of the chloride ion from the dissociation of lead chloride.
2+ - 2
Qsp = [Pb ][Cl ]
1.8*10-5 = (s)(2s + .1)2
s= [Pb2+]= 1.8*10-3M , 2s= [Cl-] = approximately .1M
Notice that the molarity of Pb2+ is lower when NaCl is added. The equilibrium constant
stays the same because of the increased concentration of the chloride ion. To simplify
the reaction, it can be assumed that [Cl-] is approximately .1M since the formation of the
chloride ion from the disociation of lead chloride is so small. The reaction quotient for
PbCl2 is greater than the equilibrium constant because of the added Cl-. This therefore
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shift the reaction left towards equilibrium, causing precipitation and lowering the current
solubility of the reaction. Overall, the solubility of the reaction decreases with the added
sodium chloride.
References
1. Harwood, William S., F. G. Herring, Jeffry D. Madura, and Ralph H. Petrucci.
General Chemistry Principles and Modern Applications. 9th ed. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall, 2007. 670-a32.
2. "Common Ion Effect." Common Ion Effect. Web. May 2012.
<http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/...nIonEffect.htm>.
3. "Solubility Equilibrium." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation. Web. May 2012.
<http://library.thinkquest.org/C00666...olubility.html>.
Contributors
Emmellin Tung
Mahtab Danai (UCD)
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