In a beaker, a large scoop of solid silver(I) cyanide is allowed to come to equilibrium with 0.10 M HNO₃. The following two equilibria are established:
AgCN(s) ⇌ Ag⁺(aq) + CN⁻(aq)
CN⁻(aq) + H₃O⁺(aq) ⇌ HCN(aq) + H₂O(l)
Given that:
K₁ = 1.2 × 10⁻¹⁶
K₂ = 1.6 × 10⁹
The overall reaction is: