Water Self-Ionization: Unraveling Chemical Equilibrium And Ion Concentrations
In pure water, a small fraction of water molecules undergo self-ionization, forming hydronium (H3O+) and hydroxide (OH-) ions. The equilibrium constant for water (Kw) is a constant value at a given temperature and represents the ratio of the concentrations of H3O+ and OH- ions. At 25 °C, Kw is approximately 1 x 10^-14, meaning that…