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Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: hallie3 on November 21, 2013, 04:43:49 PM

Title: Predict whether aqueous solutions of the salts will be acidic, basic or neutral.
Post by: hallie3 on November 21, 2013, 04:43:49 PM

Predict whether aqueous solutions of the salts will be acidic, basic or neutral:
(My attempt is shown after each compound...)

 Mg(ClO)2 - Basic
 Ca(ClO4)2 - Neutral
 C5H5NHCl - Acidic
 C3H7NH3NO3 - Basic
 Ca(C8H7O2COO)2 - Basic

These are incorrect. Where am I going off?

Title: Re: Predict whether aqueous solutions of the salts will be acidic, basic or neutral.
Post by: Archer on November 21, 2013, 08:20:56 PM

You could, in theory, get all of these right just by guessing (ok, the odds are pretty long but then so is the lottery) it is possible that you could have got some of them right for completely the wrong reason.

Please could you give your reasoning behind your given answers, this will help point you in the right direction.

Also these are much easier to follow if they are formatted properly.

Mg(ClO)₂ 
Ca(ClO₄)₂
C₅H₅NHCl
C₃H₇NH₃NO₃
Ca(C₈H₇O₂COO)₂

I appreciate this seems pedantic and basic common sense should overrule the possibility of a C₈H₇₀₂CO₂ in your compound but it is good practice to remove any ambiguity.