ICE Chart [ENDORSED]
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ICE Chart
When using an ICE chart, do you only you use it for weak acids/bases where there's an equilibrium reaction? Why?
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Re: ICE Chart
Strong acids/bases are completely ionized in solution, but weak acids/bases are not. So you would need to calculate the concentrations, which is what the ICE box is for.
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Re: ICE Chart
When there are problems where we have to use ice boxes, are the acids and bases automatically weak?
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Re: ICE Chart
It's okay to use an ICE chart whenever there is a reaction. It just depends what you put for the starting and change values. For a strong base/acid, the change will cause the reactant base/acid to go to 0 while for weak base/acid, there will be some reactant still left over.
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Re: ICE Chart [ENDORSED]
The general rule for this is that the reactants will have a -X and the products will have a +X. This makes sense because the products are initially starting with 0, so they have to have something added.
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Re: ICE Chart
Additionally, the wording in the question will give you context regarding which direction the reaction will proceed, and thus which species will have "-x" or "+x" in the "change" portion of the ICE box.
It's also possible that a question gives you the current concentrations of all species as well as the K value, in which case you'd have to calculate the reaction quotient, Q, and compare it with K to see which direction the reaction will proceed.
It's also possible that a question gives you the current concentrations of all species as well as the K value, in which case you'd have to calculate the reaction quotient, Q, and compare it with K to see which direction the reaction will proceed.
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Re: ICE Chart
Will questions generally give you how much of a reactant is left over in the case that it is a weak acid or base? Or do we just have to calculate it using the change x variable and the initial concentration?
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Re: ICE Chart
We can, but I don't think we will have a problem with more than 2 products and 2 reactants mainly because it would get complicated.
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