3.1 Carbonate in Closed Systems

OVERVIEW

You will learn about the nature of dissolved CO₂ and be able to carry out quantitative calculations and construct speciation diagrams for carbonate in a closed system.

KEY CONCEPTS

1. The nature of dissolved CO₂ and the difference between true carbonic acid H₂CO₃⁰ and total carbonic acid H₂CO₃*
2. The relationships among carbonate speciation, alkalinity, buffer intensity and titration curves in a closed system
3. How the behavior of carbonate in seawater differs from that in fresh water