If 0.02 mole of Hydrochloric acid is dissolved in 2 litres of solution...
Calculation of pH of Hydrochloric acid solution
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid. When it is dissolved in water, it dissociates completely to form H+ ions and Cl- ions. The pH of the solution can be calculated using the following formula:
pH = -log[H+]
Step 1: Calculate the concentration of H+ ions
Since the acid is completely dissociated, the concentration of H+ ions is equal to the concentration of HCl in the solution. The number of moles of HCl in the solution can be calculated using the following formula:
moles of HCl = concentration of HCl x volume of solution
Here, the concentration of HCl is 0.02 mole and the volume of solution is 2 litres. Substituting these values in the above formula, we get:
moles of HCl = 0.02 x 2 = 0.04 moles
Therefore, the concentration of H+ ions is also 0.04 moles/litre.
Step 2: Calculate the pH
Now that we know the concentration of H+ ions, we can use the pH formula to calculate the pH:
pH = -log[H+]
Substituting the value of [H+] in the above formula, we get:
pH = -log(0.04) = 1.4
Step 3: Interpretation of pH
The pH of the Hydrochloric acid solution is 1.4. Since the pH scale is logarithmic, a pH of 1.4 indicates a highly acidic solution. In fact, a solution with a pH of 1.4 is almost as acidic as pure Hydrochloric acid, which has a pH of 0.
Therefore, the Hydrochloric acid solution is highly corrosive and should be handled with care.