DETERMINATION OF THE SOLUBILITY PRODUCT

CONSTANT OF CALCIUM HYDROXIDE

L. WOODS
INSTITUTE OF GROUNDER STUDIES, COLLEGE OF POLARIS
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY 1101, PHILIPPINES
DATE SUBMITTED: 01 MARCH 2016
DATE PERFORMED: 18 FEBRUARY 2016

INTRODUCTION
As a general rule, hydroxides of Group I
metals (e.g. Na+, K+) are more soluble in
water as you go down the periodic table.
However, hydroxides of Group II (e.g. Ca2+,
Mg2+) are less soluble and are weaker
alkalis [1]. Therefore, calcium hydroxide,
Ca(OH)2, is sparingly soluble. Given a
hypothetical solid AxBy, its equilibrium
reaction would look something like the
following:

In the experiment, Ca(OH)2s solubility

product consant (Ksp) was determined via
titration.
The expression of the equilibrium equation
is as follows:
Ca(OH)2 Ca2+ + 2 OH- (4)
Based on that equation, the formula for the
Ksp of Ca(OH)2 is:

AxBy xAy+ (aq) + yBx- (aq) (1)

Ksp = [Ca2+][OH-]2 (5)

Based on this reaction, the general formula

for the equilibrium constant would be:

In the equation, [Ca2+] and [OH-] are the

equilibrium concentrations of calcium and
hydroxide respectively.

Keq =

y +
A

x
B
(2)

A reaction quotient, Qsp, can also be

obtained given the equilibrium reaction.
The equation is now expressed as:
Qsp = [Ca2+]o[OH-]2o (6)
However, in this equation, [Ca2+]o and
[OH-]o are the initial concentrations of
calcium and hydroxide respectively.

Where [Ay+] is the concentration of Ay+,

[Bx-] is the concentration of Bx-, and [AxBy] is
the concentration of AxBy.
The equation of Ksp in this experiment is:
Ksp = [Ay+][Bx-] (3)

The state of the solution can be determined

given Qsp and Ksp. If Qsp < Ksp, then the
solution is still unsaturated. If Qsp = Ksp,
then the reaction is saturated and has
reached the maximum amount that can be
dissolved. If Qsp > Ksp, then the reaction is

Page 1 of 6

supersaturated meaning that if more Ca 2+

or OH- is added, then precipitate will form
[3]
.
There are many factors that can affect
equilibrium [1]. Among these factors are:
Temperature
Diverse-ion Effect
Common-ion Effect
Simultaneous Equilibria
As shown in a previous experiment
(Experiment 4: Common-Ion Effect and
Buffers), the common-ion effect is an
application of Le Chateliers principle [1].
The common-ion effect states that when a
common-ion is added into a solution of
dissociated solids, the reaction would
proceed towards the precipitation of the
dissolved solid due to the solutions
shifting equilibrium which balances the
reaction to maintain the state [5]. In the case
of the experiment, the addition to the
product side needed to be depleted by the
formation of the original solid (from
products to reactants).
The diverse-ion effect (alternatively, the
Salt Effect) has the opposite effect on the
Ksp value as the common-ion effect [4]. This
is the effect being observed in the
experiment. Salting out occurs in aqueous
solutions of high ionic strength that reduce
the molecule's solubility causing certain
proteins to precipitate [2].

METHODOLOGY
Boiled water was needed for the
standardization of HCl. The solutions
needed to be prepared were as follows:
1.00 L of 0.10 M HCl
250.0 mL of 1.0 M stock KNO3
250.0 mL of:
o 0.50 M
o 0.25 M

o 0.10 M
o 0.05 M
o 0.01 M
KNO3 solution from the 1.0 M stock.
For the standardization of 0.10 M HCl, 0.1
g of Na2CO3 primary standard was
weighed (to the nearest 0.1 mg). Around
75.0 mL of boiled distilled water was then
added to the standard. The solution as
swirled to dissolve the solid. Two to three
drops of phenolphthalein was added and
the initial burette reading was recorded.
0.10 M HCl was used to titrate the solution
and the final burette reading was recorded
as well.
For the determination of Ksp and molar
solubility, Ca(OH)2 was added to 250.0 mL
and stirred until the solution reached
equilibrium. Undissolved precipitate was
then filtered out. 50.0 mL of the supernate
was added to an Erlenmeyer flask via
pipette. Two to three drops of
phenolphthalein was added to the
supernate before it was titrated with the
standardized HCl. The volume of HCl used
was recorded and the procedure was
repeated two more times.
For the determination of the effect of
common ions, Ca(OH)2 was, once again,
added to 250.0 mL of 0.010 M Cu(NO3)2
and stirred until equilibrium was reached.
Undissolved precipitate was then filtered
out. 50.0 mL of the supernate was added to
a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask. Two to three
drops of phenolphthalein was added to the
supernate before it was titrated with the
standardized HCl. The volume of HCl used
was recorded and the procedure was
repeated two more times.
For the determination of the effect of ionic
strength on the solubility of Ca(OH) 2,

Page 2 of 6

Ca(OH)2 was added to the KNO3 solutions

previously listed (third in the list). The
solution was stirred until equilibrium was
reached. The undissolved precipitate was
then filtered out. 50.0 mL of the supernate
was added to 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask
(one for each concentration). Two to three
drops of phenolphthalein was added to the
supernate before it was titrated with the
standardized HCl. The volume of HCl used
was recorded and the procedure was
repeated two more times.
The end point of titration is the drop before
the solution became colorless. Since there
was almost no way to determine whether
the solution was over-titrated or not, extra
care was taken during titration. This was
also the reason why three trials were
needed.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The experiment was done to determine the
solubility product constant of calcium
hydroxide, Ca(OH)2, using a balanced
equation (5).
As expected, the solubility constant, Ksp,
increased with the increase of the molarity
of KNO3. However, the Ksp of Ca(OH)2 in
deionized water did garnered gave a 162%
error. This result makes the experiment
considered a failure. The error is very large
and cant be considered negligible.
While the Ksp values didnt go as expected,
the trend of the values were still
(somewhat) favorable. Possible sources of
error could be the rushed titrations. During
the experiment, time was running out and
it is entirely possible that the solutions
were over-titrated since the people
conducting the experiment werent able to

take extra care during titration and were

thus forced to titrate as fast as possible.
One recommendation is to allot a longer
amount of time for the experiment so the
experimenters wont feel the need to do the
procedures as fast as they can. Accuracy
should have been the priority of the
experiment which, unfortunately, it was
not.
Another way to counter the limited time is
by proper time management. The
experimenters should try to distribute the
work more effectively since some people
apparently need clear instructions on what
to do and were unable to decide which part
they were meant to do. Although, some
already stated which part they were going
to do, others werent able to pick up that
there were still parts of the experiment that
still didnt have anybody assigned to. The
experimenters should also be able to
communicate with each other more
effectively since apparently, not everyone is
able pick up certain things relevant to the
experiment.
REFERENCES
[1] Brown, e. a. (2015). Chemistry: The
Central Science (Thirteenth ed.).
London: Pearson Education
Limited.
[2] Chem Wiki. (n.d.). Retrieved from UC
Davis:
http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Core
/Physical_Chemistry/Thermodyna
mics/NonIdeal_Systems/Salting_Out
[3] Odian, G., & Blei, I. (1994). Schaum's
Outlines: General, Organic, and

Page 3 of 6

Biological Chemistry. New Jersey:

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
[4] Petrucci, R. H., & al., e. (2007). General
Chemistry: Principles and Modern
Applications. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall.

[5] Silberberg, M. (2013). Principles of

General Chemistry (Third ed.). New
York: McGraw-Hill.

Page 4 of 6

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
1. Write the net ionic reaction for the precipitation of Ca(OH) 2 and give the Ksp expression of the
reaction.
Net ionic: Ca(OH)2 Ca2+ + 2 OHKsp expression: Ksp = [Ca2+][OH-]2
2. What is the working equation for the determination of the [Ca 2+] in the saturated solution of
Ca(OH)2?

OH

[Ca2+] =
=

M1 V 1 1
x
V2
2

Where M1, V1, and V2 refer to the ones of [OH-].

3. Write the Ksp of Ca(OH)2 in terms of its (a) molar solubility s, (b) [OH-] and (c) [Ca2+].
(a) Ksp = 4s3

OH

3
(b) Ksp =

(c) Ksp = 4[Ca2+]3

4. Discuss the effects of common ions and increasing ionic strength on the solubility of the Ca(OH) 2
precipitate. Do they coincide with theoretical effects? Explain.
Common ions have been shown to increase solubility as mentioned in the Introduction of
the Formal Report submitted. The Common-Ion Effect is an application of Le Chateliers
principle. It states that when a common-ion is added into a solution of dissociated solids,
the reaction would proceed towards the precipitation of the dissolved solid due to the
solutions shifting equilibrium which balances the reaction to maintain the state. In short,
the addition of a common-ion increases/improves solubility.
Increasing the ionic strength also increases solubility. With the increase in the
concentration of the reactants ions, the solubility also increases because more of the
reactants moles will interact thereby causing a reaction.

5. What are the possible sources of errors and their effect on the calculated parameters? Rationalize.
Most of the errors can be traced back to human error. For instance, theres the possibility
that there was a misreading when it comes to the measurement of the solutions and/or
the primary standard. A misreading will affect the calculations of the molarity and could
potentially lead to incorrect results.

An incorrect measurement in the weighing of the primary standard has an even bigger
effect since it affects the rest of the experiment. Like in the previous, it affects the
calculations and could make the result undesirable.

APPENDIX A WORKING EQUATIONS

Table 1. Initial, Change, Equilibrium (ICE) Table of Reaction
Ca(OH)2

Ca2+
0
Initial
+x
Change
x
Equilibrium
Molar solubility, s = x.
Keq = Ksp = [OH-]2[Ca2+] = x (2x)2 = 4x3
[OH-] =

+
H

V titrant

OH

[Ca2+] =

Ionic strength =

1
b z2
2 i=1 i i where,

i = ion identification number

z = charge of ion
n

Average solubility =

si
i =1

where,

i = trial number
%Error =

|theoreticalexperimental
|x 100
theoretical

2 OH0
+2x
2x