Question

Ammonium hydroxide ionizes as follows: NH4OH(s) NH4 +(aq) + OH-(aq). If an excess of ammonium salt, such as NH4Cl (which ionizes to give NH4 +(aq) ions) is added to the equilibrium shown above, you could predict that the result will be to....

Answer 1

Decrease the concentration of OH-

Answer 2

Answer: The dissociation of the base will be further suppressed.

Step-by-step explanation: Any change in the equilibrium is studied on the basis of Le-Chatelier's principle.

This principle states that if there is any change in the variables of the reaction, the equilibrium will shift in the direction to minimize the effect.

For the given equation:

`NH_4OH(s)\rightleftharpoons NH_4^+(aq)+OH^-(aq)`

If an excess of ammonium salt, such as
`NH_4Cl` (which ionizes to give
`NH_4^+`(aq) ions)

`NH_4Cl\rightarrow NH_4^++Cl^-`

If the concentration of
`NH_4^+` that is the product is increased, so according to the Le-Chatelier's principle, the equilibrium will shift in the direction where decrease of concentration of
`NH_4^+` takes place. Therefore, the equilibrium will shift in the backward direction and the ions will start associating to form
`NH_4OH`.