Question

At what pH will more than 99% of C6H5NH3+ be in a form that possesses a charge?

A) pH < 1
B) pH 1-2
C) pH 2-3
D) pH > 3

Answer 1

At a pH of less than 1, more than 99% of C6H5NH3+ will be in a protonated, charged form due to the high concentration of hydronium ions in such acidic solutions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking at what pH will more than 99% of C6H5NH3+ (the conjugate acid of a weak base) be in a form that possesses a charge.

To determine this, we need to understand the behavior of weak acids and bases and their conjugate species.

The conjugate acid of a weak base will mostly exist in its protonated (charged) form in acidic solutions, which have a low pH. Based on the nature of logarithmic scales and pH values, a pH of less than 1 would result in a scenario where the hydronium ion concentration is much higher than the deprotonated form of C6H5NH3+, thus more than 99% of it would be in the protonated, charged form.