Hydronium Treatment: H3O+ vs. H+ Equilibrium Constants

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SUMMARY

The equilibrium constant for the reaction 2 H2O = H3O+ + OH- is equivalent to the ion product of water, Kw, represented as H2O = H+ + OH-. The use of [H3O+] instead of [H+] in acid-base systems does not require any modifications to the existing processes, as both are treated identically. The distinction lies in the representation, as free protons do not exist in solution, making the hydronium ion a more accurate descriptor.

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  • Understanding of acid-base chemistry principles
  • Familiarity with equilibrium constants and their significance
  • Knowledge of hydronium ion (H3O+) and proton (H+) behavior in aqueous solutions
  • Basic grasp of chemical reaction equations
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  • Research the concept of equilibrium constants in acid-base reactions
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Chemistry students, educators, and professionals involved in acid-base chemistry and those interested in the accurate representation of proton behavior in solutions.

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Is it true that the reaction 2 H2O = H3O+ + OH- has a different equilibrium constant to that of Kw, H2O = H+ + OH- ? How can that be?

If we want a decent treatment of an acid-base system using [H3O+] rather than the less accurate [H+], what modifications do we have to make to the process used for the simple [H+] case?
 
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No modifications necessary, they are treated exactly the same. It's simply a matter of changing the labels because free protons are not thought to exist in solution such that it is more realistic to denote the proton by using the hydronium label.
 

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