The solubility product Ksp of a sparingly soluble salt is
- A. the total mass of the salt dissolved
- B. the product of the concentrations of its ions in a saturated solution, each raised to the power of its coefficient
- C. the concentration of the undissolved solid
- D. the ratio of dissolved to undissolved salt
Explanation
For a saturated solution in contact with excess solid, an equilibrium exists between the solid and its ions, and Ksp is the equilibrium constant for that dissolving process. The concentration of the solid itself is constant and so is not included in the expression. If the ionic product exceeds Ksp a precipitate forms, which is the basis of qualitative analysis.