Hello,
The equilibrium constant, k, is used to quantitate the equilibrium
state of a chemical reaction. In general form:
k
mA + nB ---> xC + yD
[C]^x * [D]^y where '[' ']' indicate concentration
of
where k = ----------------- such as [C] indications concentration
of C
[A]^m * [B]^n and 'n,m,x,y' are the # of molecules
now, applying this to the equation in this question gives:
HX <---> H+ + X-
[H+]^1 * [X-]^1 [H+]*[X-]
k = ---------------- or more simply ---------
[HX]^1 [HX]
the question asks specifically for Ka - Ka is the equilibrium constant
for an acid base equation, so, Ka:
(1*10^-3)*(1*10^-3)
Ka = ----------------- = 1 * 10^-5
(1*10^-1)
A nice reference on equilibrium equations:
http://dbhs.wvusd.k12.ca.us/Equilibrium/Equilibrium-Constant.html
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