2007-03-23 05:13:47 · 2 answers · asked by hqt5009 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Carboxylic acids are, I believe, fairly weak acids, meaning they do not dissociate completely in solution. Because they form an equilibrium, part of the acid actually dissociates, and part remains a whole molecule. In an acidic aqueous solution, there is a surplus of H+ (or hydronium H3O+, if you prefer) ions in solution, which will tend to push the equilibrium to the left, and more of the carboxylic acid will tend to precipitate out because less of it can dissociate in solution.
2007-03-23 05:19:34 · answer #1 · answered by theyuks 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
These acods get most of their solubility by breaking up into minus ions and hydrogen ions. Acidic solutions already have a high concentration of hydrogen ions, and this makes it difficult for the acid molecules to break up. If the cannot break up, they are almost insoluble in water.
2007-03-23 12:25:17 · answer #2 · answered by Sciman 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋