When to use ICE table?

[LMendoza 2I]

Hi, so I’m confused about when I should use an ice table to find acid and base equilibrium concentrations. I know you should use it when only given one molar concentration of an acid/base but other than that should I only use it when finding concentrations of weak acids and bases?

[704887365]

You can use ICE tables for finding equilibrium concentrations and initial concentrations but you can also use them to find the pH of an acid or base. For instance, to find the pH, you would do -log(x) where x is the change in concentration (C part of the ICE table).

[Diane Bui 2J]

You can also essentially use the ICE table in any acid base equilibrium problem to check your work. For example, when given the equilibrium concentrations of a product and asked to find Kc, you can use ICE to show how you found your Kc when you really don't need to. You can just use the molar ratios of the reactants and products, but it's good practice to use ICE table.

[905022356]

ICE tables allow you to find the equilibrium concentrations of any equilibrium reaction, using only the initial concentration of the reactants. They also help you to find Ka and Kb for weak acids and bases, which will allow you to determine their relative strengths.