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Consider a weak acid, HA, with a dissociation constant, Ka = 1.8 x 10^-5. What will be the effect on the concentration of [H3O+] and the degree of ionization of the acid if 0.1 moles of HCl is added to 1 liter of a 0.1 M solution of HA?

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When 0.1 moles of HCl is added to 1 liter of a 0.1 M solution of HA, the HCl will dissociate completely, as it is a strong acid. This will result in an increase in the concentration of H3O+ ions in the solution. Let's calculate the new concentration of H3O+ ions and the degree of ionization of the weak acid HA.Initial concentration of HA = 0.1 MInitial concentration of H3O+ from HA dissociation = xInitial concentration of A- = xHCl dissociates completely, so the concentration of H3O+ from HCl = 0.1 MTotal concentration of H3O+ = [H3O+]_total = x + 0.1The dissociation of HA can be represented as:HA <=> H3O+ + A-The Ka expression for this reaction is:Ka =  [H3O+][A-] / [HA] Since the initial concentration of HA is 0.1 M, and x moles of HA dissociate:[HA] = 0.1 - xSubstituting the values in the Ka expression:1.8 x 10^-5 =   x + 0.1 x / 0.1 - x To simplify the equation, we can assume that x is very small compared to 0.1, so 0.1 - x  0.1:1.8 x 10^-5 =  0.1x /0.1Solving for x:x = 1.8 x 10^-5So, the initial concentration of H3O+ from HA dissociation is 1.8 x 10^-5 M. The total concentration of H3O+ after adding HCl is:[H3O+]_total = x + 0.1 = 1.8 x 10^-5 + 0.1  0.1 MThe degree of ionization of HA can be calculated as the ratio of the concentration of dissociated HA  x  to the initial concentration of HA  0.1 M :Degree of ionization = x / 0.1 =  1.8 x 10^-5  / 0.1 = 1.8 x 10^-4The addition of HCl has increased the concentration of H3O+ ions in the solution to approximately 0.1 M, and the degree of ionization of the weak acid HA is 1.8 x 10^-4.

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