58. During the Apollo 13 mission, rising carbon dioxide leve…
58. During the Apollo 13 mission, rising carbon dioxide levels in the spacecraft threatened the astronauts. Blood pH is normally held at 7.4 by this set of COUPLED equilibria: CO₂(g, air) ⇌ CO₂(g, blood)CO₂(g, blood) + H₂O ⇌ H₂CO₃(aq)H₂CO₃(aq) + H₂O ⇌ H₃O⁺(aq) + HCO₃⁻(aq) If the CO₂(g) level in the air supply increased, how would blood pH be affected?
Read Details52. Acetic acid, CH₃CO₂H, is a weak acid (Ka = 1.8 × 10⁻⁵)….
52. Acetic acid, CH₃CO₂H, is a weak acid (Ka = 1.8 × 10⁻⁵). Trifluoroacetic acid, CF₃CO₂H, made by replacing the three non-dissociable H atoms of the methyl group with F atoms, is a borderline strong acid (Ka between 10⁻¹ and 10⁻²). Which statement best explains this several-thousand-fold increase in Ka?
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