Is BaSO4 soluble in Ba(NO3)2?
The correct answer and explanation is:
Barium sulfate (BaSO₄) is not soluble in barium nitrate (Ba(NO₃)₂).
The solubility of BaSO₄ is extremely low in water and in other ionic solutions, including Ba(NO₃)₂. BaSO₄ is a salt formed by the combination of barium ions (Ba²⁺) and sulfate ions (SO₄²⁻). While it is insoluble in water, it remains largely insoluble in a solution containing barium nitrate as well. This is because when BaSO₄ is placed in a solution with Ba²⁺ ions, the ions involved are the same. The presence of the same cation (Ba²⁺) in solution does not alter the extremely low solubility of BaSO₄, as it is a result of the strong ionic lattice formed between barium ions and sulfate ions.
In fact, the solubility of BaSO₄ is governed by its very low solubility product constant (Ksp). The solubility product for BaSO₄ is 1.1 × 10⁻¹⁰, indicating a very low tendency to dissociate into Ba²⁺ and SO₄²⁻ ions. Adding Ba(NO₃)₂, which provides Ba²⁺ ions, does not enhance its solubility because the ionic concentration of Ba²⁺ increases, but it does not shift the equilibrium enough to dissolve more BaSO₄.
In summary, the dissolution of BaSO₄ is not significantly affected by the presence of Ba(NO₃)₂. The solubility remains extremely low due to the nature of the ionic bonds in BaSO₄, and the fact that there is no driving force in the form of a different cation or anion that could overcome these bonds.