CH 223 Chapter Guides

Chapter Guide Three: Overview | Resources | Practice

  Overview of Chapter Guide Three

Chapter 14 introduces the concept of acids and bases. Although we briefly discussed acids earlier in CH 221, we will now be able to apply our understanding of equilibrium to acids and bases to see if a particular acid or base is strong or weak. The acid dissociation constant, Ka, and the base dissociation constant, Kb, will help us understand the strength of the species. We will look at pH in addition to other "pX" scales (such as pOH, pKa, pKb, etc.)

We will also look at how acids and bases interact when placed together. Scientists use a variety of equations to determine the pH after certain volumes of titrant have been added, and we'll learn how to accomplish this goal. Along the way we will learn about the common ion effect and how it relates to buffers and the powerful Henderson-Hasselbalch equation.

For a complete list of important concepts, see the Chapter 14 Study Guide.

  Resources for Chapter Guide Three

For this module, you should read Chapter 14 in your textbook.

The following screencasts and Complete Lectures might prove useful to you as you study this chapter.

The Chapter Fourteen lecture notes which accompany this lesson will be helpful when going through this section. These are Web versions of the lecture notes used in the "normal" CH 223 class and should let you see what is important in this chapter. You can also view the Lecture Notes in presentation software: Keynote, PowerPoint

A variety of handouts are available from Chapter Fourteen. Feel free to explore all of them or just the ones that give you difficulty.

Once you have mastered the concepts listed above, check out the Chapter Fourteen Concept Guide for a series of worked problems relating to this chapter. They will help you to ensure the mastery of the knowledge from this chapter.

Finally, test yourself (and get extra-credit in the bargain!) on the following chemistry concepts. If you get 9 out of 10 correct (or some multiple thereof), submit the information to receive extra credit.

  1. Identifying Acids and Bases
  2. Hydrolysis of Acids and Bases
  3. Proton Transfer Reactions
  4. pA, pB, A and B
  5. pH, pOH, [H+], [OH-]
  6. More pH Relationships
  7. pH of Weak Acid Solutions
  8. pH of Weakly Basic Solutions
  9. Solutions of Acids and Bases
  10. Calculating K for Acid-Base Reactions
  11. Using the Weak Acid Approximation
  12. Titrations of Weak Acids
  13. Properties of Buffers
  14. Composition of Buffers

  Practice the Concepts of Chapter Guide Three

Complete problem set #3 to further explore buffers and titrations. Problem set #3 covers several questions from Chapter 14 and it can be found here. We will discuss problems like these during recitation, so come prepared to ask and answer questions.

For additional practice, try completing practice problem set #3 (with answers included at the end) and/orthe non-assigned problems in Chapter 14 (and Chapter 14 Part I). Answers to many of those problems are listed in the back of your textbook.

If you need assistance on these problems, you have several options. You can visit the AVID / Learning Success Center located above the MHCC library on the Mt. Hood Community College campus; they have tutors available to help you with your chemistry homework. You can also contact me if you have any questions.

This sample Quiz #3 (with answers at the end) which was given during a previous year's CH 223 class will help you understand the kind of questions that will be asked on the quiz.

You can also test your mastery of the subject matter by trying the self quiz for Chapter 14 and a second self quiz for Chapter 14. These are ungraded quizzes that you can use to gauge your comfort level with these concepts.

Back to the top

The Chapter Guides:

Back to the top

Questions? Contact me!