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Common Ion Effect

Mediumchemistry

The solubility of AgCl in 0.1 M NaCl solution is much lower than its solubility in pure water. If K_{sp}(AgCl) = 1.8 \times 10^{-10}, what is the molar solubility of AgCl in 0.1 M NaCl?

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About This Question

Subject
chemistry
Chapter
equilibrium
Topic
common ion effect
Difficulty
Medium
Year
2025
Tags
common ion effectAgCl solubilityKsp calculationionic equilibriumsolubility suppression

Solution

Correct Answer:

The common ion effect occurs when an ion already present in solution suppresses the dissociation of a sparingly soluble salt. AgCl dissociates as AgCl(s) \rightleftharpoons Ag^+(aq) + Cl^-(aq), and K_{sp} = [Ag^+][Cl^-] = 1.8 \times 10^{-10}. In 0.1 M NaCl, [Cl^-] \approx 0.1 M due to the common ion (much larger than the contribution from AgCl itself). Let the solubility of AgCl be s mol/L. Then [Ag^+] = s and [Cl^-] \approx 0.1 M. Thus K_{sp} = s \times 0.1 = 1.8 \times 10^{-10}, giving s = 1.8 \times 10^{-10} / 0.1 = 1.8 \times 10^{-9} mol L^{-1}. Option 1.34 \times 10^{-5} is the solubility in pure water (\sqrt{K_{sp}}), ignoring the common ion completely. Option 1.8 \times 10^{-10} is K_{sp} itself, not the solubility. Option 1.8 \times 10^{-11} would come from dividing by 10 instead of 0.1, an arithmetic error. This is a classic NCERT ionic equilibrium application demonstrating Le Chatelier's principle in the context of solubility. Plausibility check: solubility in NaCl (1.8 \times 10^{-9}) is about 10,000 times less than in pure water (1.34 \times 10^{-5}), confirming significant suppression due to the common ion effect.

This medium difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter equilibrium, covering the topic of common ion effect. It appeared in the 2025 exam.

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