Question

What happens when 6 M HCl is added to a solution containing Ag, Cu²⁺, and Fe³⁺ ions?

A) Red precipitate forms
B) Blue precipitate forms
C) White precipitate forms
D) No precipitate forms

Answer 1

A white precipitate forms when 6 M HCl is added to a solution containing Ag, Cu²⁺, and Fe³⁺ ions due to the formation of insoluble silver chloride (AgCl).

Step-by-step explanation:

When 6 M HCl is added to a solution containing Ag, Cu²⁺, and Fe³⁺ ions, the expected observation is the formation of a white precipitate. This occurs because Ag⁺ ions react with Cl⁻ ions from HCl to form silver chloride (AgCl), which is a white precipitate. The reaction can be represented by the net ionic equation:

Ag⁺(aq) + Cl⁻(aq) → AgCl(s)

Since AgCl is a white precipitate and is known for its low solubility in water, the accurate answer to the question is C) White precipitate forms.

The presence of Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺ does not result in additional precipitates when HCl is added because their chloride complexes are usually soluble under these conditions.