Hello! Please correct me if I'm wrong.
For the following compound, predict whether the solution is acidic, basic, or neutral and why: NH4Cl.
a) acidic, NH4Cl is the salt of a weak base
b) neutral because there is no hydrolysis
c) acidic, NH4Cl is a strong acid
d) basic, NH4Cl is the salt of a weak acid
e) basic, NH4Cl is a weak base
-- I picked D. I think I may have chosen wrong. I think it dissociates into NH4^+ and Cl^- making an acidic solution... but I'm not so sure
Thank you for helping to correct me :)
You are correct that NH4Cl dissociates into NH4+ and Cl- ions in water. However, NH4Cl is actually the salt of a weak acid (NH4+) and a strong base (Cl-).
To determine whether the solution is acidic, basic, or neutral, we need to consider how the salt ions interact with water. In this case, the NH4+ ion can act as a weak acid since it can donate a proton (H+) to water molecules, while the Cl- ion does not have any acidic or basic properties.
When NH4+ reacts with water, it transfers one of its protons to form NH3 (ammonia) and H3O+ (hydronium ion):
NH4+ + H2O ⇌ NH3 + H3O+
The presence of H3O+ ions in the solution makes it acidic. Therefore, the correct answer is a) acidic, NH4Cl is the salt of a weak base.
So, picking answer option a) would be the correct choice.
No problem, happy to help! The correct answer is actually (a) acidic, NH4Cl is the salt of a weak base.
NH4Cl is an example of an acid salt. It is formed from the reaction of a weak base, ammonia (NH3), and a strong acid, hydrochloric acid (HCl). Since NH3 is a weak base, it does not completely dissociate in water and forms NH4+ and OH- ions through hydrolysis.
The NH4+ ions from the salt will hydrolyze in water to donate H+ ions, resulting in an acidic solution. This is because NH4+ is the conjugate acid of the base NH3, and it will ionize in water to release H+ ions.
So, the correct answer is (a) acidic, NH4Cl is the salt of a weak base.