Question

You have the following solutions available in the lab: NH4Cl, NaOH, HCl, and CuSO4.

Predict which pair of compounds will produce a precipitate. Use the solubility rules.
a) NaOH and HCl
b) CuSO4 and NH4Cl
c) CuSO4 and NaOH
d) HCl and CuSO4

Answer 1

CuSO4 and NaOH will produce a precipitate of Cu(OH)2.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the solubility rules, the pair of compounds that will produce a precipitate is c) CuSO4 and NaOH. When CuSO4 (copper(II) sulfate) and NaOH (sodium hydroxide) are mixed together, they react to form a precipitate of Cu(OH)2 (copper(II) hydroxide). This is because Cu(OH)2 is insoluble according to the solubility rules. The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:

CuSO4 + 2NaOH → Cu(OH)2 + Na2SO4