Applications of aqueous equilibria

Abstract

When AgNO3 is added to a saturated solution of AgCl, it is often described as a source of a common ion, the Ag+ ion. By definition, a common ion is an ion that enters the solution from two different sources. Solutions to which both NaCl and AgCl have been added also contain a common ion; in this case, the Cl- ion. There is an effect of common ions on solubility product equilibria. The common-ion effect can be understood by considering the following question: What happens to the solubility of AgCl when we dissolve this salt in a solution that is already 0.10 M NaCl? As a rule, we can assume that salts dissociate into their ions when they dissolve. A 0.10 M NaCl solution therefore contains 0.10 moles of the Cl- ion per liter of solution. Because the Cl- ion is one of the products of the solubility equilibrium, LeChatelier's principle leads us to expect that AgCl will be even less soluble in an 0.10 M Cl- solution than it is in pure water.