DETERMINATION OF THE SOLUBILITY PRODUCT

CONSTANT OF CALCIUM HYDROXIDE

A. M. C. F. ABLANG1
1National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Science
University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
Date Submitted: 6 March 2019
Date Performed: 25 February 2019

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

1. Describe what is happening during the establishment of the equilibrium dissociation

of Ca(OH)2. Elaborate on the meaning and significance of the solubility constant (Ksp) and
molar solubility (s).
Because Ca(OH)2 is sparingly soluble, only a small quantity dissolves in a saturated
solution, and the majority remains an undissolved solid. The Ca(OH)2 that does dissolve is
completely dissociated into its constituent ions (Whitten, 2014; Petrucci, 2017; Skoog, 2013)
according to its solubility product constant Ksp. Given a saturated aqueous solution, the Ksp
expresses the equilibrium wherein a solid ionic solute dissolves to give its constituent ions. The
solid dissolves until Ksp is satisfied, and the amount of undissolved solid remains constant beyond
that point (Harris, 2010). Solubility can also be expressed in terms of molar solubility or the
number of moles that dissolve to result in one liter of saturated solution, or simply its molarity.
Molar solubility s and solubility constant Ksp are related in the sense that one can be determined
when the other is known (Harris, 2010; Petrucci, 2017).

2. What is the Ksp expression for Ca(OH)2? How was the Ksp determined through the
experiment conducted? What about s?
Harris (2010), Harvey (2000), and Skoog (2013) state the theoretical Ksp for Ca(OH)2 to be
6.5 x 10-6, given the expression in Equation 1. An average Ksp of 4.88 x 10-5 was experimentally
determined through using distilled water as the analyte in the experiment, calculating the ion
concentrations of both Ca2+ and OH- and utilizing the Ksp expression to obtain the solubility
product constant. At constant temperature for a saturated solution, Ksp is the product of the
concentration of constituent ions, each raised to the number of ions in one formula unit of the
compound (Harris, 2010; Petrucci, 2017).

6.5 𝑥 10−6 = [𝐶𝑎2+ ][𝑂𝐻 − ]2 (Equation 1)

Molar solubility s was obtained by representing the number of dissolved moles of Ca(OH) 2
per liter of saturated solution and substituting that in the Ksp expression. Both methods are also
done in Petrucci (2017), Whitten (2014), and Skoog (2013).
While the experimental Ksp obtained results in a percent error of approximately 651%,
this is rationalized by not taking into account ion activities by the components in equilibrium
(Petrucci, 2017).

3. After presenting your experimental results (Ksp and s) for the different equilibrium
systems examined, discuss the effects of common ions and increasing ionic strength on
the solubility of the Ca(OH)2 precipitate. Do they coincide with what was expected from
theory? Explain.
Adding CaCl2 to the solution resulted in a Ksp of 4.55484 x 10-5 and an s of 0.022494, which
are both slightly lower than the calculated values without the second solute. Le Châtelier's
principle posits that when the concentration of one reactant is increased, a mixture in equilibrium
will shift the mechanism to the direction that consumes it. In solubility experiments, this is
manifested through the lower solubility of sparingly soluble ionic compounds when in the presence
of a constituent ion. The addition of Ca2+ in the calcium hydroxide equilibrium shown in Equation 2
increases the concentration in the forward products, so the equilibrium shifts toward the reverse,
inducing precipitation of Ca(OH)2 and lowering its solubility (Petrucci, 2017; Harris, 2010;
Whitten, 2014).

𝐶𝑎(𝑂𝐻)2 ⇋ 𝐶𝑎2+ + 𝑂𝐻 − (Equation 2)

As shown in Table 1, increasing ionic strength, or the total concentration of ions in

solution, clearly increased both Ksp and s parameters and increased solubility of Ca(OH)2
precipitate in general. When inert KCl added to the slightly soluble Ca(OH)2, ion dissociation is
promoted. The reactions between Ca2+ and OH- ions are decreased due to the generation of an ionic
atmosphere, reducing the likelihood of them combining, and therefore increasing the solubility
(Harris, 2010).

KCl M Ionic strength s Ksp

0.01 0.01 0.024457318 5.85228 x 10-5
0.05 0.05 0.025314217 6.49381 x 10-5
0.1 0.1 0.027849209 8.63995 x 10-5
0.25 0.25 0.028384771 9.18061 x 10-5
0.5 0.5 0.031651697 0.000127519
Table 1. Table of values for calculated ionic strength, s, and Ksp.

4. What are the possible sources of errors and their effect on the calculated parameters?
Rationalize.
Incorrect standardization would have skewed the value of HCl molarity used in
calculations. Numerous personal errors also could have affected the experiment: titration is one,
wherein overtitration of the analyte would affect the accuracy of the calculated concentration, or
not cleaning or drying the buret well enough beforehand would have resulted in final volumes both
imprecise and inaccurate. Moreover, errors in weighing affect the experiment from titration to
final calculation, and improper solute transfer either adds impurities to the analyte or decreases
its amount. Parallax errors, wherein the volume reading is inaccurate if not read at eye level of the
liquid surface, could also have been committed during titration, affecting the final volume reading
of the titrant (Skoog, 2013).

REFERENCES
Harris, D. C. (2010). Quantitative chemical analysis. Macmillan.
Harvey, D. (2000). Modern analytical chemistry. Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Petrucci, R. H., Herring, F. G., Bissonnette, C., & Madura, J. D. (2017). General chemistry: principles and
modern applications. Pearson.
Skoog, D. A., West, D. M., Holler, F. J., & Crouch, S. (2013). Fundamentals of analytical chemistry. Nelson
Education.
Whitten, K. W., Davis, R. E., Peck, M. L., & Stanley, G. (2014). Chemistry. Cengage Learning.