Answer to Question #82521 in General Chemistry for Yaya

Question

We make the following solutions:
1. Ammonium sulfate in water
2. ethanol in water
3. Methane in water
4. Methane in hexane

A. Write whether each solute is solvent or not
B. Describe the presses of dissolution

Answer 1

1. Ammonium sulfate is a salt of a strong acid and a weak base. hence on dissolving it in water, hydrolysis of cation takes place creating equilibrium(equ.) between NH4+ and NH4OH with NH4OH itself maintaining the solubility equ. in water with NH3 and H2O, giving solution a slight ammoniacal smell.also hydrolysis of ammonium ion leads to the formation of hydronium ions(hydrated H+ ions) making solution acidic and obviously sulphate ion is present as it is in the solution.

2. Ethanol has a polar -OH group, which hydrogen bonds to water, which makes ethanol soluble.

3. Methane is prsctically insoluble in water.

4. Methane is well soluble in n-hexane.