Concentrated sulfuric acid may be used in a school or college laboratory to produce hydrogen chloride by reaction with solid chlorides such as sodium chloride - CIE - A-Level Chemistry - Question 2 - 2012 - Paper 1
Question 2
Concentrated sulfuric acid may be used in a school or college laboratory to produce hydrogen chloride by reaction with solid chlorides such as sodium chloride.
(a) ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Concentrated sulfuric acid may be used in a school or college laboratory to produce hydrogen chloride by reaction with solid chlorides such as sodium chloride - CIE - A-Level Chemistry - Question 2 - 2012 - Paper 1
Step 1
What will be seen when concentrated sulfuric acid is carefully added to solid sodium chloride?
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Answer
When concentrated sulfuric acid is added to solid sodium chloride, white fumes or steamy fumes of hydrogen chloride gas are observed.
Step 2
Write a balanced equation for this reaction.
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Answer
The balanced equation for the reaction is:
ightarrow ext{Na}_2 ext{SO}_4 (s) + 2 ext{HCl (g)} $$
Step 3
What is meant by the term strong acid?
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Answer
A strong acid is defined as an acid that is completely dissociated into hydrogen ions (H⁺) in solution. This means that when added to water, it ionizes completely, resulting in a high concentration of H⁺ ions in the solution.
Step 4
State one observation you would make when carrying out this reaction with solid sodium iodide.
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Answer
When solid sodium iodide is reacted with concentrated sulfuric acid, a purple or violet vapour is released, which is characteristic of iodine.
Step 5
Explain why hydrogen iodide is not a product of this reaction.
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Answer
Hydrogen iodide is not produced in this reaction because concentrated sulfuric acid acts as an oxidizing agent. It oxidizes iodide ions (I⁻) to iodine (I₂) instead of producing hydrogen iodide (HI).
