Question

The pH of a dilute solution of acetic acid was found to be 4.3. The addition of a small crystal of sodium acetate will cause pH to

Answer 1

You form a buffer solution. Assuming they are both in equal molar amounts the pH will be 4.74. A little more acid pH goes down SLIGHTLY. A Little more salt (NaC2H3O2) and the pH goes up SLIGHTLY. That is the purpose of making a buffer - stable pH .

Answer 2

There will be an increase of common ion acetate... so according to Le Chateliers principle, increase in acetate ions will favor the reaction backwards, i.e., towards acetic acid.

So dissociation would decrease, making pH high and H+ ions low...

CH3COOH -------> H+ + CH3COO-

CH3COONa --------> Na+ + CH3COO-