In: Chemistry
Consider the system in which the mineral fluorite, CaF 2 ,
dissolves in water. The resulting
fluoride ion reacts with water to give HF. We are looking for the
solubility of CaF 2 .
a. Write the pertinent chemical reactions. The hydrolysis of water
is considered a
pertinent reaction in this system.
b. Write the charge balance. Include all of the charged species in
all of the chemical
equations written above.
c. Write the mass balance.
d. Write the equilibrium expressions for each of the chemical
reactions written above.
e. How many equations have you written? How many unknowns are
there?
f. Solve the system of equations for the solubility of fluorite. It
is not a simple
proposition to solve a system of five equations simultaneously.
Consider what the
equilibrium system would look like if the pH were fixed at 3.00.
Try solving the
equations now. It should now be a system of just three equations,
which is much
easier.