---
title: "A student prepares a saturated aqueous solution of calcium carbonate, \\(\\text{CaCO}_3\\), in contact with excess solid \\(\\text{CaCO}_3\\) in a beaker at \\(25\\ ^\\circ\\text{C}\\), as represented by the equilibrium below:  \\[ \\text{CaCO}_3\\text{(s)} \\rightleftharpoons \\text{Ca}^{2+}\\text{(aq)} + \\text{CO}_3^{2-}\\text{(aq)} \\]  The student adds a few drops of \\(1.0\\text{ M }\\text{HNO}_3\\text{(aq)}\\) to the mixture at constant temperature. Which of the following best predicts and explains the effect of this addition on the amount of solid \\(\\text{CaCO}_3\\) present in the beaker?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119744/"
date_modified: "2026-08-21T08:12:12+00:00"
---

# A student prepares a saturated aqueous solution of calcium carbonate, \(\text{CaCO}_3\), in contact with excess solid \(\text{CaCO}_3\) in a beaker at \(25\ ^\circ\text{C}\), as represented by the equilibrium below:

\[ \text{CaCO}_3\text{(s)} \rightleftharpoons \text{Ca}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + \text{CO}_3^{2-}\text{(aq)} \]

The student adds a few drops of \(1.0\text{ M }\text{HNO}_3\text{(aq)}\) to the mixture at constant temperature. Which of the following best predicts and explains the effect of this addition on the amount of solid \(\text{CaCO}_3\) present in the beaker?

A student prepares a saturated aqueous solution of calcium carbonate, \(\text{CaCO}_3\), in contact with excess solid \(\text{CaCO}_3\) in a beaker at \(25\ ^\circ\text{C}\), as represented by the equilibrium below:

\[ \text{CaCO}_3\text{(s)} \rightleftharpoons \text{Ca}^{2+}\text{(aq)} + \text{CO}_3^{2-}\text{(aq)} \]

The student adds a few drops of \(1.0\text{ M }\text{HNO}_3\text{(aq)}\) to the mixture at constant temperature. Which of the following best predicts and explains the effect of this addition on the amount of solid \(\text{CaCO}_3\) present in the beaker?

- **A.** The amount of solid \(\text{CaCO}_3\) will increase because \(\text{NO}_3^-\text{(aq)}\) ions react with \(\text{Ca}^{2+}\text{(aq)}\) ions to form an insoluble precipitate.
- **B.** The amount of solid \(\text{CaCO}_3\) will remain unchanged because \(\text{HNO}_3\) is a strong acid that completely dissociates without reacting with the dissolved ions.
- **C.** The amount of solid \(\text{CaCO}_3\) will decrease because \(\text{H}^+\text{(aq)}\) reacts with \(\text{CO}_3^{2-}\text{(aq)}\) to form \(\text{HCO}_3^-\text{(aq)}\), shifting the dissolution equilibrium to the right.
- **D.** The amount of solid \(\text{CaCO}_3\) will decrease because adding \(\text{H}^+\text{(aq)}\) directly increases the value of the equilibrium constant, \(K_{sp}\), for \(\text{CaCO}_3\).

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/119744/*