When CO2 and SO2 gases are dissolved in water, the OH concentration relative to the H concentration does what?

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Multiple Choice

When CO2 and SO2 gases are dissolved in water, the OH concentration relative to the H concentration does what?

Explanation:
When CO2 and SO2 dissolve in water, they form weak acids (carbonic acid and sulfurous acid) that donate protons, increasing the hydrogen ion concentration. As more H+ appears, the water autoionization balance shifts so that less OH− is produced. Since the product [H+][OH−] is nearly constant at a given temperature, a rise in [H+] forces [OH−] to fall. So the hydroxide concentration decreases relative to the hydrogen concentration. This also explains why the solution becomes more acidic (lower pH).

When CO2 and SO2 dissolve in water, they form weak acids (carbonic acid and sulfurous acid) that donate protons, increasing the hydrogen ion concentration. As more H+ appears, the water autoionization balance shifts so that less OH− is produced. Since the product [H+][OH−] is nearly constant at a given temperature, a rise in [H+] forces [OH−] to fall. So the hydroxide concentration decreases relative to the hydrogen concentration. This also explains why the solution becomes more acidic (lower pH).

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