Assign following salts acid/base/neutral

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Assign following salts acid/base/neutral

a) KNO3

b) K2SO4

C) K2S

D) NH4NO3

E) NaHSO4

F) NaHCO3

G) NaH2PO4

The correct answer and explanation is :

To determine whether a salt is acidic, basic, or neutral, we need to look at the parent acids and bases from which the salt is derived. The following guidelines can help:

  • Neutral salts are formed from strong acids and strong bases (e.g., NaCl from HCl and NaOH).
  • Acidic salts are formed from a strong acid and a weak base (e.g., NH4Cl from HCl and NH3).
  • Basic salts are formed from a weak acid and a strong base (e.g., Na2CO3 from H2CO3 and NaOH).

Now let’s analyze each of the salts you listed:

a) KNO3 (Potassium Nitrate):

  • KNO3 is formed from KOH (strong base) and HNO3 (strong acid).
  • Since both the acid and the base are strong, the salt is neutral.

b) K2SO4 (Potassium Sulfate):

  • K2SO4 is formed from KOH (strong base) and H2SO4 (strong acid).
  • As both the acid and the base are strong, the salt is neutral.

c) K2S (Potassium Sulfide):

  • K2S is formed from KOH (strong base) and H2S (weak acid).
  • The conjugate base of H2S (which is S²⁻) is strong enough to accept protons, making the solution basic. Thus, K2S is basic.

d) NH4NO3 (Ammonium Nitrate):

  • NH4NO3 is formed from NH3 (weak base) and HNO3 (strong acid).
  • Since the acid is strong and the base is weak, the salt dissociates to produce NH4⁺, which is a weak acid. Therefore, NH4NO3 is acidic.

e) NaHSO4 (Sodium Bisulfate):

  • NaHSO4 is formed from NaOH (strong base) and H2SO4 (strong acid), where only one hydrogen remains in the bisulfate ion (HSO4⁻).
  • The HSO4⁻ ion can act as a weak acid (it can donate a proton), so the salt is acidic.

f) NaHCO3 (Sodium Bicarbonate):

  • NaHCO3 is formed from NaOH (strong base) and H2CO3 (weak acid).
  • The HCO3⁻ ion acts as a weak base, making the salt basic.

g) NaH2PO4 (Sodium Dihydrogen Phosphate):

  • NaH2PO4 is formed from NaOH (strong base) and H3PO4 (weak acid).
  • The H2PO4⁻ ion is weakly acidic, so this salt will be acidic.

Summary:

  • Neutral: KNO3, K2SO4
  • Basic: K2S, NaHCO3
  • Acidic: NH4NO3, NaHSO4, NaH2PO4

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