The solubility of silver bromide in water is 0.140 mg/L at 20 °C. This indicates that silver bromide is very sparingly soluble in water, meaning only a tiny amount dissolves to form a saturated solution.
Understanding Silver Bromide's Solubility
Silver bromide (AgBr) is an ionic compound known for its extremely low solubility in water. This characteristic is quantitatively described by its solubility product constant (Ksp).
- Solubility Product (Ksp): The Ksp for silver bromide is 5.4 × 10⁻¹³. This very small value signifies that the concentration of silver and bromide ions in a saturated aqueous solution is exceptionally low, confirming its designation as a practically insoluble salt in water.
Solubility in Various Solvents
While silver bromide has very low solubility in water, its solubility varies significantly in other types of solvents:
| Property / Solvent | Solubility Characteristic |
|---|---|
| Solubility in water (20 °C) | 0.140 mg/L (very sparingly soluble) |
| Solubility product (Ksp) | 5.4 × 10⁻¹³ |
| In alcohol | Insoluble |
| In most acids | Insoluble |
| In ammonia | Sparingly soluble (due to complex ion formation) |
| In alkali cyanide solutions | Soluble (due to complex ion formation with cyanide ions) |
This table highlights that while silver bromide is generally considered insoluble in many common solvents like water, alcohol, and most acids, it can become soluble in solutions that form stable complex ions with silver, such as ammonia (forming [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺) or alkali cyanide solutions (forming [Ag(CN)₂]⁻).
