Problem:
An acetic acid fermentation is maintained at pH 7.00. A sample of fermentation broth is acidified by adding concentrated phosphoric acid. Then, the acidified sample is placed in a gas chromatograph. The reported concentration in the fermentation broth is 12.50 g/L, which is expressed as equivalent acetic acid. In reality, the fermentation broth contains a mixture of undissociated acid (acetic acid) and dissociated acid (acetate). Note: The pKa of acetic acid is 4.75.
Required:
Question 1: Calculate the total molar concentration (mol/L) of all species (acetate + acetic acid) in the fermentation broth.
Question 2: Calculate the molar concentration (mol/L) of acetate in the fermentation broth.
Question 3: Calculate the molar concentration (mol/L) of acetic acid in the fermentation broth.
Show your calculations, but you do not need to write out any explanation.