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In order to start a bloody assault on Mt. Death Test, you gotta get skillz wit da basics, and by basics we mean strong acid added to strong base titration and visa versa (best Italian accent please). |
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The first step in doing any titration, including titrations of the strong/strong variety, is recognizing whether the acids/bases involved are weak or strong. After this first step, however, there really isn't much more preparation to be done with a strong/strong titration than to jump into the math. Instead of getting preoccupied with issues of the size of K, which probably demands some worthless memorization of numbers, you simply have to nail down a list of six strong acids and a few strong bases (memorize this list and you're money). The following are the six and only six strong acids you'll ever need to worry about: |
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Here's a pop quiz (The D stands for distraught student, the Mc stands for the wise voice of the ever-patient Mr. McAfoos): D: Is H3PO4 a strong acid? Mc: Is it on the list? D: Is HNO3 a strong acid? Mc: Is it on the list? Got the point? Good. |
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Strong bases come in the form of an alkali metal + OH¯. These include but are not limited to: |
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Note: If you remember that NH3 is a weak base, that's probably all you need to know. |
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Okay, so now you know you've got a strong acid and a strong base. Now what? The cool thing about strong acids and bases is that they ionize to a point so near completion that you don't have to worry about side reactions, reverse reactions, etc. (A note of foreshadowing should be taken- you'll see what we mean). The four keys to your average strong/strong problem are: |
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Pretty tough, eh? This problem should quell some of those nightmares keeping you up at night. |
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