How does Ksp relate to solubility?

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Answer 1 · 2016-08-18T12:41:09

Ksp is the constant of or ratio of the amount of solute to solvent for any compound.

K sp is often written in scientific notation like 2.5 x $10^-3$

The larger the negative exponent the less soluble the compound is in solution.

The larger the real value of the Ksp the more soluble the compound is in solution 2.5 x $10^-3$ > 2.5 x $10^-6$

Answer 2 · 2016-08-18T14:44:29

$K_"sp"$ refers to the $"solubility product"$ . It is another equilibrium expression.

For a sparingly soluble binary salt, $MX$ , we may write its solubility equilibrium as:

$MX(s) rightleftharpoons M^+ + X^-$

$K_"sp"=[M^+][X^-]$

Usually $K_"sp"$ assumes standard conditions of temperature and pressure. See here for further treatment. For once I found the appropriate link.