153k views
0 votes
Which of the following salts would you expect to produce a neutral solution (i.e., an approximate pH of 7)?

a. Na₂CO₃
b. NaBr
c. NaCl
d. NaNO₃

User Uranus
by
7.7k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

Among the given salts, NaBr, NaCl, and NaNO3 are expected to produce neutral solutions as they come from strong acids and strong bases. However, NaCl is the most common example of a salt that forms a neutral solution with an approximate pH of 7.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which salt would produce a neutral solution, we need to examine the nature of the cations and anions from which the salts are formed. A salt that is made from the reaction of a strong acid and a strong base usually produces a neutral solution when dissolved in water. This is because neither ion will be capable of hydrolysis, which is the reaction of the ions with water to produce acidic or basic conditions.

Looking at the given salts: Na₂CO₃ (sodium carbonate) comes from a strong base (NaOH) and a weak acid (CO₂); NaBr (sodium bromide) is from a strong acid (HBr) and a strong base (NaOH); NaCl (sodium chloride) is from the neutralization of HCl by NaOH; NaNO₃ (sodium nitrate) is from HNO₃ (a strong acid) and NaOH (a strong base).

Given this information, we would expect NaBr, NaCl, and NaNO₃ to produce neutral solutions, with an approximate pH of 7. However, the most common salt known to produce a neutral solution is NaCl, because both the cation (Na+) and anion (Cl-) come from a strong base and a strong acid respectively, and neither ion undergoes significant hydrolysis to affect the pH.

User Sjmurphy
by
7.5k points