Acidity or Basicity of Salt Solutions.
Will 0.10 M aqueous solutions of the following salts be acidic , basic or neutral?
(Assume a solution is neutral if its pH is 7.00±0.05).
ammonium sulfite ((NH4)2SO3)
sodium citrate (Na3C6H5O7)
sodium hydrogen ascorbate (NaHC6H6O6)
ammonium formate (NH4CHO2)
I couldn't possible do better than this site. Read carefully and you can't go wrong. https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Acids_and_Bases/Acids_and_Bases_in_Aqueous_Solutions/Aqueous_Solutions_Of_Salts
In addition you can write equations for each of these and actually calculate the pH or pOH the same way I worked the C2H5NH3Cl problem.
Post your work if you get stuck and please be specific about what trouble you have and what exactly you don't understand.
Well, let's get salty and see if we can determine the acidity or basicity of these solutions!
First, we have ammonium sulfite ((NH4)2SO3). Now, the ammonium ion (NH4+) is acidic, while the sulfite ion (SO3^2-) is basic. Since the ammonium ion is acidic, we can expect this solution to be slightly acidic.
Next up, we have sodium citrate (Na3C6H5O7). Citrate is a weak base, so we would expect this solution to be slightly basic.
Moving on to sodium hydrogen ascorbate (NaHC6H6O6). Ascorbic acid is a weak acid, and since sodium hydrogen ascorbate is derived from ascorbic acid, we can anticipate this solution to be slightly acidic.
Lastly, we have ammonium formate (NH4CHO2). Here, both the ammonium ion (NH4+) and the formate ion (CHO2^-) are acidic. So, we can assume that this solution will be acidic.
Remember, these are just predictions based on the ions present in the salts. The actual pH would depend on other factors as well.
To determine the acidity or basicity of salt solutions, we need to consider the ions produced when the salts are dissolved in water.
1. Ammonium sulfite ((NH4)2SO3):
When ammonium sulfite dissolves in water, it dissociates into ammonium ions (NH4+) and sulfite ions (SO3^2-). The ammonium ion is acidic, while the sulfite ion is basic. Therefore, this solution will be slightly acidic.
2. Sodium citrate (Na3C6H5O7):
When sodium citrate dissolves in water, it dissociates into sodium ions (Na+) and citrate ions (C6H5O7^-3). Neither of these ions is strongly acidic or basic. Therefore, this solution will be neutral.
3. Sodium hydrogen ascorbate (NaHC6H6O6):
When sodium hydrogen ascorbate dissolves in water, it dissociates into sodium ions (Na+) and hydrogen ascorbate ions (HC6H6O6^-). The hydrogen ascorbate ion is weakly acidic. Therefore, this solution will be slightly acidic.
4. Ammonium formate (NH4CHO2):
When ammonium formate dissolves in water, it dissociates into ammonium ions (NH4+) and formate ions (CHO2^-). The ammonium ion is acidic, while the formate ion is weakly basic. Therefore, this solution will be slightly acidic.
To summarize:
- Ammonium sulfite ((NH4)2SO3) solution will be slightly acidic.
- Sodium citrate (Na3C6H5O7) solution will be neutral.
- Sodium hydrogen ascorbate (NaHC6H6O6) solution will be slightly acidic.
- Ammonium formate (NH4CHO2) solution will be slightly acidic.
To determine the acidity or basicity of salt solutions, we need to consider the ions present in the salt and their ability to react with water to form acidic or basic solutions.
1. Ammonium sulfite ((NH4)2SO3):
The salt dissociates into ammonium ions (NH4+) and sulfite ions (SO3^2-) in water. Ammonium ions can act as weak acids, so they can react with water to produce H3O+ ions, making the solution acidic. Therefore, the 0.10 M aqueous solution of ammonium sulfite will be acidic.
2. Sodium citrate (Na3C6H5O7):
The salt dissociates into sodium ions (Na+) and citrate ions (C6H5O7^-3) in water. Neither of these ions reacts significantly with water to produce H3O+ or OH- ions. Hence, the solution will be neutral. However, it is always good to verify the pH to confirm neutrality.
3. Sodium hydrogen ascorbate (NaHC6H6O6):
The salt dissociates into sodium ions (Na+) and hydrogen ascorbate ions (HC6H6O6^-) in water. Hydrogen ascorbate ions can donate H+ ions to water, making the solution acidic. Therefore, the 0.10 M aqueous solution of sodium hydrogen ascorbate will be acidic.
4. Ammonium formate (NH4CHO2):
The salt dissociates into ammonium ions (NH4+) and formate ions (CHO2^-) in water. Ammonium ions can act as weak acids, so they can react with water to produce H3O+ ions, making the solution acidic. Therefore, the 0.10 M aqueous solution of ammonium formate will be acidic.
In summary:
- Ammonium sulfite ((NH4)2SO3) is acidic.
- Sodium citrate (Na3C6H5O7) is neutral.
- Sodium hydrogen ascorbate (NaHC6H6O6) is acidic.
- Ammonium formate (NH4CHO2) is acidic.