---
title: "A student has two separate saturated aqueous solutions at equilibrium: Beaker 1 contains solid calcium carbonate, \\(\\text{CaCO}_3\\text{(s)}\\), in contact with its ions, and Beaker 2 contains solid silver chloride, \\(\\text{AgCl(s)}\\), in contact with its ions. A few drops of concentrated nitric acid, \\(\\text{HNO}_3\\text{(aq)}\\), are added to each beaker, significantly decreasing the pH of both solutions without noticeably changing the total volume. Which of the following predictions best describes the effect of decreasing the pH on the solubility of each solid?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119244/"
date_modified: "2026-08-19T12:39:31+00:00"
---

# A student has two separate saturated aqueous solutions at equilibrium: Beaker 1 contains solid calcium carbonate, \(\text{CaCO}_3\text{(s)}\), in contact with its ions, and Beaker 2 contains solid silver chloride, \(\text{AgCl(s)}\), in contact with its ions. A few drops of concentrated nitric acid, \(\text{HNO}_3\text{(aq)}\), are added to each beaker, significantly decreasing the pH of both solutions without noticeably changing the total volume. Which of the following predictions best describes the effect of decreasing the pH on the solubility of each solid?

A student has two separate saturated aqueous solutions at equilibrium: Beaker 1 contains solid calcium carbonate, \(\text{CaCO}_3\text{(s)}\), in contact with its ions, and Beaker 2 contains solid silver chloride, \(\text{AgCl(s)}\), in contact with its ions. A few drops of concentrated nitric acid, \(\text{HNO}_3\text{(aq)}\), are added to each beaker, significantly decreasing the pH of both solutions without noticeably changing the total volume. Which of the following predictions best describes the effect of decreasing the pH on the solubility of each solid?

- **A.** The solubility of both \(\text{CaCO}_3\text{(s)}\) and \(\text{AgCl(s)}\) increases because \(\text{H}^+\text{(aq)}\) reacts with the anions in both solutions to form weak acids.
- **B.** The solubility of \(\text{CaCO}_3\text{(s)}\) remains unchanged, whereas the solubility of \(\text{AgCl(s)}\) increases because \(\text{Ag}^+\text{(aq)}\) forms a soluble complex with nitrate ions.
- **C.** The solubility of \(\text{CaCO}_3\text{(s)}\) increases because \(\text{CO}_3^{2-}\text{(aq)}\) reacts with \(\text{H}^+\text{(aq)}\), whereas the solubility of \(\text{AgCl(s)}\) remains unchanged because \(\text{Cl}^-\text{(aq)}\) is the conjugate base of a strong acid.
- **D.** The solubility of both \(\text{CaCO}_3\text{(s)}\) and \(\text{AgCl(s)}\) remains unchanged because \(\text{H}^+\text{(aq)}\) does not react with metal cations in aqueous solution.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119244/*