Hydrochloric acis (HCI) is a relatively strong acid. Imagine that HCI is added t
ID: 867494 • Letter: H
Question
Hydrochloric acis (HCI) is a relatively strong acid. Imagine that HCI is added to a buffer solution containing the weak acid phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and a salt (Na2 HPO4). Answer the following questions. Will HCI react with the weak acid (H3PO40, or will react with the salt (Na2HPO4)? One product of this reaction will be a new salt (NaCl). What will the other product be? (It may help you try to balance this equation, but you should not have to do so if you look carefully at the examples in your text and study guide.)Explanation / Answer
A. HCl will react with the salt because it is a buffer solution i.e aqueous solution of weak acid and its conjugate base. HCl prefers to react with Na2HPO4 because the ionization of NaCl is preferred over the reaction of simply a weak acid combined with a strong acid, which nullifies the reaction potential.
B.The other product depends upon the quanitity of HCl added in the reaction mixture.Because it does not specify how much HCl is mixed with Na2HPO4 in the second part. However, it does tell you that Na2HPO4 is a buffer, so you have to assume there is a lot more Na2HPO4 than HCl in the reaction. If 1 or fewer equivalents of HCl is mixed into the Na2HPO4, the products are NaCl and NaH2PO4. If between 1 and 2 equivalents of HCl are added to Na2HPO4, the products are NaCl, NaH2PO4, and H3PO4. But if 2 or more equivalents of HCl are added to Na2HPO4, the products are only NaCl and H3PO4.
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