Calculating the pH of Industrial, Environmental, and Biological Examples [ENDORSED]

[Sabrina Galvan 3J]

On the Acid and Base Equilibria outline, the last bullet point states "Calculate the pH in these industrial, environmental, and biological examples: Carbon dioxide reacts with water to form carbonic acid, which makes carbonated drinks acidic, acidic rain, rivers, and lakes in the environment, and respiratory acidosis and death in biological systems."
I was wondering where I could examples or questions that would cover this objective. Did we go over them in lecture, and if so which lecture, or could they be found in the textbook? Thank you!

[Minahil_Tufail_3I]

Hi! 6E.1 covers polyprotic acid solutions which includes carbonic acid. 6E.3 part a also has a question involving carbonic acid if you wanted to try calculating pH for it!

[Xavier Herrera 3H]

If you wanted to find the pH of carbonic acid, I'm pretty sure you would only need to take the 1st deprotonation into account since the second deprotonation would make an insignificant amount of H3O+. I think the only polyprotic acid that we need to take the 2nd deprotonation into account is sulfuric acid, since the first deprotonation is for a strong acid and the second is for a weak acid.

[Chem_Mod]

See the nice discussion in Box 6E.1 (Acid Rain).

Both great student comments/advice above. :-)

Also see https://lavelle.chem.ucla.edu/wp-conten ... _Bases.pdf