CHEMISTRY COMMUNITY

when do you know when you need to use an ice table or when you can go straight to the equilibrium constant

You need to use the ice table to find the concentrations of H+ and OH- to find the pH or pOH.

You use an ICE table when a weak acid or base is being reacted with water. A strong acid or base completely dissociates in water, so you can go straight to the equilibrium constant expression.