In Ka (acid equilibrium constant) what do the concentrations on the other side represent?

Question

In Ksp solubility, they represent how many ions can be in a litre before a solution is saturated, but what about Ka?

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Answer 1 · 2017-02-10T07:23:01

We refer to the acid base equilibrium:

#HA(aq) + H_2O(l) rightleftharpoons H_3O^(+) + HO^-#

And #K_a# is just your garden variety equilibrium expression:

#K_a=([H_3O^+][HO^-])/([HA])#

And thus #K_a# is the ion product multiplied by the original concentration of the acid.