Dissociation constant of 0.01 M weak acid is 10⁻⁴ . What is percent dissociation of acid?

Step-by-step solution

Dissociation of a weak acid follows the equilibrium: HA H^+ + A^- . Given initial concentration C = 0.01 M and dissociation constant K_a = 10⁻⁴ , the degree of dissociation is determined from the expression: K_a = C ^2 1- . For weak acids, is typically small, allowing the approximation 1 - 1 , simplifying to: K_a C ^2 . Solving for : ^2 = K_a C = 10⁻⁴ 0.01 = 10⁻² = 10⁻² = 0.1 Multiplying by 100 gives the percentage dissociation: Percent dissociation = 0.1 100 % = 10 % While = 0.1 slightly challenges the approximati