High School

What is the pH at the half-equivalence point in the titration of a weak base with a strong acid? The pKb of the weak base is 8.00.

a) 7.0
b) 8.00
c) 4.00
d) 6.00

Answer :

Final answer:

The pH at the half-equivalence point in the titration of a weak base with a strong acid is equal to the pKa of the conjugate acid of the base. For a base with a pKb of 8.00, the pH at the half-equivalence point would be 6.00.

Explanation:

The pH at the half-equivalence point in the titration of a weak base with a strong acid is equal to the pKa of the weak acid that forms when the base accepts a proton. Given that the pKb of the weak base is 8.00, we first need to find the pKa.

This is done using the relation pKa + pKb = 14.00 (since pKw = 14.00 at 25°C).

Therefore, the pKa would be 14.00 - 8.00 = 6.00. During titration, at the half-equivalence point, the amount of weak base is equal to the amount of its conjugate acid, meaning that we are effectively dealing with a buffer system where pH = pKa. Consequently, the pH at the half-equivalence point would be 6.00.