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Hydrolysis Of Salts

Easychemistry

Which of the following aqueous salt solutions will be basic (pH > 7) at 25°C due to hydrolysis of its ions?

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About This Question

Subject
chemistry
Chapter
equilibrium
Topic
hydrolysis of salts
Difficulty
Easy
Year
2025
Tags
salt hydrolysisbasic salt solutioncarbonate ionanionic hydrolysisweak acid strong base salt

Solution

Correct Answer:

Salt hydrolysis depends on the nature of the acid and base from which the salt is derived. Na_2CO_3 is a salt of strong base NaOH and weak acid H_2CO_3; in water, the carbonate ion undergoes anionic hydrolysis: CO_3^{2-} + H_2O \rightleftharpoons HCO_3^- + OH^-, producing OH^- ions that make the solution basic (pH > 7). NH_4Cl is wrong because it is a salt of strong acid HCl and weak base NH_3; the ammonium ion undergoes cationic hydrolysis producing H^+ ions, giving an acidic solution (pH < 7). NaCl is wrong because it is a salt of strong acid HCl and strong base NaOH; neither Na^+ nor Cl^- hydrolyse appreciably, so the solution is neutral (pH = 7). FeCl_3 is wrong because it is a salt of strong acid HCl and weak base Fe(OH)_3; Fe^{3+} undergoes extensive hydrolysis producing H^+ and a highly acidic solution. The NCERT Equilibrium chapter classifies salt hydrolysis systematically based on the strength of the parent acid and base. Plausibility check: Na_2CO_3 solution is used as a cleaning agent (washing soda) precisely because of its basicity, confirming our answer.

This easy difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter equilibrium, covering the topic of hydrolysis of salts. It appeared in the 2025 exam.

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