Explain which of the following aqueous solutions has the strongest

ion-dipole attractions: 0.3 M FeBr3, 0.6 M CaCl2, 0.5 M Ba(NO3)2, 0.2 M
(NH4)2SO4, 0.9 M KOH.

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To determine which of the given aqueous solutions has the strongest ion-dipole attractions, we need to understand the nature of ion-dipole attractions and the properties of the ions present in each solution.

Ion-dipole attractions occur between ions and the partial charges on polar molecules. In an aqueous solution, the water molecules (H2O) act as the polar molecules. The strength of the ion-dipole attractions depends on the charge and size of the ions.

Now let's analyze each solution:

1. 0.3 M FeBr3:
- FeBr3 dissociates in water to form Fe3+ and Br- ions.
- The Fe3+ ion has a charge of +3, and the Br- ion has a charge of -1.
- Both ions are relatively small in size.

2. 0.6 M CaCl2:
- CaCl2 dissociates in water to form Ca2+ and Cl- ions.
- The Ca2+ ion has a charge of +2, and the Cl- ion has a charge of -1.
- The Ca2+ ion is larger in size compared to Fe3+.

3. 0.5 M Ba(NO3)2:
- Ba(NO3)2 dissociates in water to form Ba2+ and NO3- ions.
- The Ba2+ ion has a charge of +2, and the NO3- ion has a charge of -1.
- Ba2+ ion is larger in size compared to Fe3+ and Ca2+.

4. 0.2 M (NH4)2SO4:
- (NH4)2SO4 dissociates in water to form NH4+ and SO4^2- ions.
- The NH4+ ion has a charge of +1, and the SO4^2- ion has a charge of -2.
- The NH4+ ion is relatively small in size.

5. 0.9 M KOH:
- KOH dissociates in water to form K+ and OH- ions.
- The K+ ion has a charge of +1, and the OH- ion has a charge of -1.
- The K+ ion is relatively large in size.

Based on the analysis, we can see that solutions 1, 2, 3, and 4 have positively charged ions (Fe3+, Ca2+, Ba2+, and NH4+) that can interact with the partial negative charges of water molecules. Since larger ions have more surface area to interact with the polar water molecules, solutions 3 and 4 (0.5 M Ba(NO3)2 and 0.2 M (NH4)2SO4) have stronger ion-dipole attractions compared to solutions 1 and 2.

Therefore, the aqueous solution with the strongest ion-dipole attractions is 0.5 M Ba(NO3)2.