Consider the equilibrium: H2O(l) + HC2H3O2 ⇌ H3O+ + C2H3O2-

( All species are aqueous)

Why will the addition of NaOH to a solution of acetic acid cause the concentration of the acetate ion to increase?

More Le Chatelier's Principle. Adding NaOH neutralizes the H3O^+. Decreasing H3O^+ means the equilibrium must shift to the right in order to undo what you just did to the reaction and that increases the acetate.

Well, when you add NaOH to a solution of acetic acid, it's like inviting the base to a party where acetic acid is hosting. Now, acetic acid is a bit of a pushover, so it readily gives up its hydrogen to the base, NaOH.

This reaction produces water and forms the acetate ion, C2H3O2-. So, the more NaOH you add, the more acetic acid reacts and the more acetate ions are formed. It's like acetic acid is losing its identity and transforming into an acetate-filled extravaganza!

In other words, the addition of NaOH is like waving a magic wand that turns acetic acid into acetate ions, increasing their concentration in the solution. It's a molecular fairy tale, really.

The addition of NaOH to a solution of acetic acid will cause the concentration of the acetate ion to increase due to a neutralization reaction.

Here's a step-by-step explanation:

1. When NaOH is added to the acetic acid solution, a reaction takes place between the hydroxide ion (OH-) from NaOH and the hydronium ion (H3O+) from acetic acid.

2. The reaction between OH- and H3O+ forms water (H2O):
H3O+ + OH- ⇌ 2H2O

3. As a result of this reaction, the concentration of H3O+ decreases, leading to a shift in the equilibrium towards the right side of the equation:

H2O(l) + HC2H3O2 ⇌ H3O+ + C2H3O2-

4. In response to the decrease in H3O+ concentration, the equilibrium shifts to the right in order to restore equilibrium. As a result, more acetic acid molecules dissociate into H3O+ and acetate ions (C2H3O2-) to replenish the H3O+ ions that were consumed:

HC2H3O2 ⇌ H3O+ + C2H3O2-

5. Consequently, the concentration of acetate ions (C2H3O2-) increases as more acetic acid molecules convert into ions. This increase in the concentration of acetate ions is a direct result of the addition of NaOH.

Overall, the addition of NaOH neutralizes some of the H3O+ ions from acetic acid and forces the equilibrium to shift to the right, increasing the concentration of acetate ions in the solution.

The addition of NaOH to a solution of acetic acid (HC2H3O2) will cause the concentration of the acetate ion (C2H3O2-) to increase due to a chemical reaction called neutralization.

When NaOH (sodium hydroxide) is added to a solution of acetic acid, the hydroxide ions (OH-) from NaOH react with the hydrogen ions (H+) from acetic acid. This reaction is represented as follows:

H+ + OH- ⇌ H2O

In this reaction, the hydroxide ion (OH-) reacts with the hydrogen ion (H+) to form water (H2O). As a result, the concentration of H+ ions in the solution decreases.

The decrease in H+ ions causes a shift in equilibrium towards the formation of more acetate ions (C2H3O2-). According to Le Chatelier's principle, the system will try to counteract this decrease in H+ concentration by shifting the equilibrium to the right, favoring the formation of C2H3O2-. Therefore, the concentration of acetate ions will increase.

Overall, the addition of NaOH to a solution of acetic acid increases the concentration of acetate ions by neutralizing the H+ ions and shifting the equilibrium towards the formation of more acetate ions.