CHEMISTRY 17.

1 General Chemistry II

SOLUBILITY EQUILIBRIUM OF CALCIUM HYDROXIDE

[Redacted]
INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY, COLLEGE OF SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES, DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY 1101, PHILIPPINES
DATE SUBMITTED: 20 MARCH 2019
DATE PERFORMED: 27 FEBRUARY 2019

ABSTRACT

The experiment aimed to determine the solubility product constant and molar solubility of calcium hydroxide, and explain the effects of
various factors, specifically temperature, on the solubility of the calcium hydroxide. To determine the effect of the temperature on the
solubility, calcium hydroxide was placed in three beakers that were filled up with distilled water that had varying temperatures. After the
titration of the calcium hydroxide solutions with acid, the obtained concentrations of OH- were used to determine the solubility product
constants and molar solubilities of the three setups. Results of the data analysis show that the ln Ksp vs. 1/T had a linear trend line
formula y= -1854.4x – 6.1179 having an r2 value of 0.9057. The experimental value of Ksp only had a 20.5431698% percent error from
the theoretical value. To observe the trend when the Common-Ion Effect, Diverse Ion Effect, and polarity effect are observed, different
solvents were used in the calcium hydroxide solutions. The results followed the theoretical trends, having the KCl solvent have the
highest Ksp value, and the CaCl2 solvent have the lowest Ksp value. The discrepancies in the data could have been caused by various
errors in the execution of the procedure. To avoid discrepancies, the procedures should be followed meticulously, and modifications in
the procedure should be done.

INTRODUCTION represents the molar solubility of a saturated solution

of equation (1).
When placed in water, sparingly soluble salts partially
dissociate into its constituent ions until equilibrium [𝐴 𝑦+ ] = 𝑥𝑠 [𝐵 𝑥− ] = 𝑦𝑠 (3)
between the compound and its ions is established [1].
This reaction can be represented by equation (1). In this experiment, the salt that was used was
Ca(OH)2, and the main solvent was water. In the
𝐴 𝑥 𝐵𝑦 (𝑠) ⇌ 𝑥𝐴 𝑦+ (𝑎𝑞) + 𝑦𝐵 𝑥− (𝑎𝑞) (1) dissolution of the salt Ca(OH)2 in water, which can be
seen in equation (4), the salt will dissociate into its
The solubility product constant (Ksp), the equilibrium constituent ions.
constant for reactions like equation (1), determines
how soluble a solid is in a specific solvent [2]. Equation 𝐶𝑎(𝑂𝐻)2 (𝑠) ⇌ 𝐶𝑎2+ (𝑎𝑞) + 2𝑂𝐻 − (𝑎𝑞) (4)
(2) shows the Ksp expression of equation (1).
Equation (4) would then generate equation (5) as its
𝐾𝑠𝑝 = [𝐴 𝑦+ 𝑥
] [𝐵 𝑥− 𝑦
] (2) Ksp expression.

The molar solubility of the sparingly soluble salt (s),
which is related to the Ksp, is the number of the moles
of a salt that can be dissolved in a specific solvent to
form a liter of saturated solution [1]. Equation (3),
which was determined through stoichiometry,
𝐾𝑠𝑝 = [𝐶𝑎2+ ][𝑂𝐻 − ]2 (5)
Through the acid-base titration of the Ca(OH)2
solution using a titrant of known volume and
concentration, the concentration of OH- in equation
(5) can be determined. The data that can be obtained

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 CHEMISTRY 17.1 General Chemistry II

from the titration would determine the concentration of
the analyte.
Various factors can affect the solubility of salts in a
solvent, and these factors include temperature, the
presence of common ions, the presence of diverse
ions, and the change in solvent polarity [1]. According
to the van’t Hoff equation (6), where ΔH is the
enthalpy change of the reaction, ΔS is the entropy
change, and R is the gas constant 8.314J/mol-K, the
Ksp value has a linear relationship with the
temperature of the system.
25mL aliquots of each of the filtered solutions were
placed in separate 125mL Erlenmeyer flasks. 3 drops
of 1% phenolphthalein were also added into each of
the Erlenmeyer flasks before the solutions were
titrated with 0.10M HCl. The titrations stopped
immediately after the color from the phenolphthalein
have vanished. The volume of 0.10M HCl used for the
titration of each of the solutions was recorded, and
second trials of the titration of the same solutions
were performed once more.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

ΔH ΔS After obtaining the titration data, the molar solubility of

ln K𝑠𝑝 = − + (6) each of the mediums, which can be seen in table 1,
𝑅𝑇 𝑅
were obtained.

The experiment aimed to determine the Ksp of Table 1. Volume of HCl needed for the titration and
calcium hydroxide, and explain the effects of the corresponding molar solubility for each media
temperature, presence of common and diverse ions Volume of Titrant Molar
and solvent polarity on the solubility of sparingly Medium (mL) Solubility
soluble salts. Trial 1 Trial 2 (M)
A 5.4 mL 6 mL 0.0114
METHODOLOGY B 7.8 mL 5.4 mL 0.0132
C 5.3 mL 3.6 mL 0.0089
To simulate the effects of different conditions on the D 4.5 mL 1.3 mL 0.0058
molar solubility and solubility product constant, six E 6.7 mL 8.4 mL 0.0151
different calcium hydroxide solutions were prepared in
F 6.8 mL 6.1 mL 0.0129
separate 250mL beakers.
Using the calculated molar solubilities (s) of mediums
The first three beakers used 50mL distilled water with
A, B, and C, the solubility product constants (Ksp) of
varying temperatures as solvents. The solvent in the
each of the mediums, which can be seen in table 2,
first beaker was left to be in room temperature, the
were also determined.
solvent in second beaker was heated to attain a
higher temperature, and the solvent in the third
Table 2. Calculated Ksp values for each of the
beaker was submerged in an ice bath to attain a
mediums with varying temperatures
solvent with a lower temperature. The last three
Medium Temperature Calculated Calculated
beakers were filled with varying solvents at room
(K) molar Ksp (10-6)
temperature. The first beaker was filled with 50mL of
solubility
0.10M CaCl2, the second beaker was filled with 50mL
(M)
of 0.50M KCl, and the third beaker was filled with
45mL of distilled water and 5mL of 95% ethanol. A 302.65 K 0.0014 5.926176
B 343.15 K 0.0132 9.199872
After the solvent preparation, Ca(OH)2 was added to C 284.15 K 0.0089 2.819876
each of the solvents until a white cloudy mixture that
signifies the saturation of the solution has formed. As seen on the table, the data for temperature,
The solutions were stirred for 10 minutes before being calculated Ksp, and calculated molar solubility have a
filtered into separate receiving flasks which are at the direct relationship. According to Le Chatelier’s
same temperature as the suspensions. Principle, when stress is applied on a system, there is
a net change that will occur on the opposite direction
This direct relationship corresponds to an

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 CHEMISTRY 17.1 General Chemistry II
endothermic reaction, because heat is needed for the
reaction to proceed faster. The results contradict the
theoretical assumption.
Theoretically, the ΔH has a value of -880.286 J/mol.
This means that the reaction should have been
exothermic. As the temperature increased, the
solubility product constant should have decreased
with it. This discrepancy in data could have been
caused by errors in the execution of the experiment.
The main possible cause of the discrepancy could be
that the students weren’t able to transfer the filtered
solutions into Erlenmeyer flasks that were of the
same temperature as the solutions. This could cause
a huge discrepancy in data because of the
dependence of the solubility on the temperature.
Plotting the temperature and calculated Ksp data in a
graph, a linear plot based on the van’t Hoff equation
can be seen in figure 1.
ln Ksp vs 1/T
-11
0 0.001 0.002 0.003 0.004
-11.5
ln Ksp
-12
ln Ksp
-12.5
-13
1/T
Figure 1. Effect of temperature on reaction rate by
the Arrhenius equation
As seen on figure 1, the trend of the graph is linear.
The equation of the line is y= -1854.4x – 6.1179.
Having an r2 value of 0.9057, the graph exhibits high
linearity. Although it isn’t that significant, there is a
small discrepancy in the data. This discrepancy could
have been caused by the inevitable return of the
temperature to room temperature in between the
solution preparation and the titration.
Through the manipulation of the equation of the line
y= -1854.4x – 6.1179, the experimental Ksp at 298K
was determined. Having a theoretical value of
5.5x10-6 [3], and the calculated Ksp being
4.37012567x10-6, the percent error is 20.5431698%.
Using the same equation, the ΔH, and the ΔS were
also determined. The calculated ΔH and ΔS are
3 Institute of Chemistry, University of the Philippines, Diliman
15,417.4816 J/mol, and -50.8642206 J/K mol
respectively. With ΔH having a theoretical value of
-986.17 J/mol [3], and ΔS having a theoretical value of
83.39 J/Kmol [3], ΔH and ΔS have 1663.369561% and
160.9955877% percent errors respectively. The
calculated ΔH value corresponds to an endothermic
reaction, which supports the assumption made using
the data from table 2.
Like the previous assumption, the ΔH values are
contradicting. Aside from the error in the temperature
of the flask, the discrepancy could be blamed on
other possible sources of error. The discrepancy
could have also been caused by the unsaturation or
super saturation of the solution, or the presence of
Ca(OH)2 crystals in the solution that was titrated.
Medium Solvent Used Ksp
A Distilled Water 5.926176 x 10-6
D 0.10 M CaCl2 7.80448 x 10-7
E 0.5 M KCl 1.3771804 x 10-5
F Distilled Water + 8.586756 x 10-6
95% Ethanol
Table 3. Ksp values of the solutions that used
different solvents
As stated in the introduction, common ions, diverse
ions, and polarities affect the solubility of salts. The
trends of the Ksp all agree with the concepts that are
to be applied when examining experiments about
solubility.
Medium D, having a value of 7.80448 x 10-7, had the
lowest Ksp value because of the Common-Ion Effect.
According to Le Chatelier’s Principle, an equilibrium
mixture responds to an increase in the reactant’s
concentration by shifting the reaction to the direction
where the reactant is being consumed. So when more
calcium molecules are in the solution, what happens
to equation (4) is that it shifts to the left. This is
because the calcium ion can be found on the product
side. The reversal of the reaction means that there
are less dissociated ions in the solution, making the
solubility of the system lower. The higher the
concentration of the calcium ions in the solvent, the
lower the solubility [3].
Medium E, having a value of 1.3771804 x 10-5, has
the highest Ksp because of the diverse ion effect (The
Salt Effect). The effect of the “noncommon” or diverse
ion is the opposite of the effect of the Common-Ion
Effect, which means that the solubility of the salt
 CHEMISTRY 17.1 General Chemistry II

would be higher when there are no common ions
between the salt and the solvent compared to when
they do have an ion in common. Also, the solubility of
the salt increases when the concentration of the
solvent, which it has no common ion with, has a
higher concentration [3].
[1] Acero, R., Benito, K., Custodio, K., Espino, P.,
Fajiculay, M., Mella, L., Nazareno, J., Nuesca, G.,
Pagtalunan, C., Payawan, L., Ratilla, E., Santiago,
M., Santos, W., Talusan, T., Trinidad, L., Ugalino, R.,
Yago, A. General Chemistry II Laboratory Manual.
2018. Quezon City: UP Diliman. 22-24

Medium F has the lowest Ksp value because of its
polarity. Although Ethanol is polar, it has non polar
components. This makes it harder for the Ca(OH)2
ions to dissolve, because of the repulsion between
the ions and the ethanol. This means that the solution
with diluted Ethanol would have a lower solubility than
the solution with only water as a solvent.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
[2] Brown, T.L., LeMay, Jr., H.E., Bursten, B.E.,
Murphy, C.J., Woodward, P.M., Stoltzfus, M.W.
Chemistry the central science 13th ed. 2015. United
States of America: Pearson Education.
[3] Petrucci, R., Herring, G., Madura, J., Bissonette,
C. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern
Applications 10th Ed. 2011. Canada: Pearson
Publishing Inc.

Although the theoretical claim was that the reaction

was supposed to be exothermic, according to the
results, the dissolution of Ca(OH)2 in various solvents
and in various conditions is endothermic. The
equation of the line had a high r2 value, so it means
that the data had a high linearity. The calculated Ksp
also only had a small discrepancy compared to the
theoretical Ksp, which makes obtaining the Ksp
successful.

Although proving the theoretical effect of temperature

using the data that was obtained seems to be a
failure, proving the Common-Ion Effect, the Salt
Effect, and polarity effect seemed to be successful.
The medium that had a common ion had the lowest
Ksp, value, the medium that had no common ion had
the highest Ksp value, and the medium that used
diluted Ethanol as a solvent had a lower Ksp value
compared to distilled water.

Most of the experiment seemed to be right and

successful. The only problem was with the enthalpy
and the entropy.

To avoid discrepancies, the procedure should be

followed meticulously and by the book. Also, multiple
filtrations could also be done to assure that the
solution isn’t overly titrated and that there are no more
solids present during the titration.

REFERENCES

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CHEMISTRY 26.1: Elementary Quantitative Inorganic Analysis Laboratory Manual

5 Institute of Chemistry, University of the Philippines, Diliman