Is "lead(II) sulfide" soluble in aqueous solution? How would we represent the reaction?

1 Answer
anor277
Jul 9, 2016

PbS(s) rightleftharpoonsPb^(2+) + S^(-2)

Explanation:

The given equilibrium lies strongly to the left, as PbS is very insoluble. Nevertheless, the ions in solution are Pb^(2+) and S^(2-). The extent of the equilibrium could be measured if we know K_(sp) for lead sulfide.

This site reports that K_(sp)=9.04xx10^29 for PbS, which is truly a low number.

Of course in the solid state, we would say that PbS is composed of Pb^(2+) and S^(2-) ions.

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