Q1) Write down all possible dissociation reactions of the following species:
a) Perchloric acid.
b) Propanoic acid.
c) Ammonium ion.
d) Sulfurous acid.
To determine the possible dissociation reactions of the given species, we need to understand their chemical formulas and the behavior of their constituent ions.
a) Perchloric acid (HClO4):
Perchloric acid is a strong acid that completely ionizes in water. Therefore, it dissociates into its constituent ions:
HClO4 → H+ + ClO4-
b) Propanoic acid (C3H6O2):
Propanoic acid is a weak acid, meaning it partially ionizes in water. It dissociates into its constituent ions, but the dissociation is not complete:
C3H6O2 → H+ + C3H5O2-
c) Ammonium ion (NH4+):
The ammonium ion is a positively charged polyatomic ion. It does not dissociate further since it is already a single ion.
d) Sulfurous acid (H2SO3):
Sulfurous acid is a weak acid that partially dissociates in water. It loses a hydrogen ion (H+) to form a sulfite ion (SO3^2-):
H2SO3 ⇌ H+ + HSO3-
It is important to note that the extent of ionization or dissociation depends on the strength of the acid/base. Strong acids and bases dissociate completely, whereas weak acids and bases dissociate only to a certain extent.