The salt \(\mathrm{BX}\), when dissolved in water, produces an acidic solution. Which of the following could be true? (There may be more than one correct answer. a. The acid HX is a weak acid. b. The acid HX is a strong acid. c. The cation \(B^{+}\) is a weak acid. Explain.

When a salt is dissolved in water, it can produce an acidic, neutral, or basic solution. An acidic solution is one in which the concentration of hydrogen ions (\(\mathrm{H^{+}}\)) is greater than that of hydroxide ions (\(\mathrm{OH^{-}}\)). In other words, the acidity of the solution depends on whether the salt is formed from a strong or weak acid and strong or weak base.

Statement a suggests that the acidic solution could be a result of the acid HX being a weak acid. A weak acid would not fully dissociate into \(\mathrm{H^{+}}\) and \(\mathrm{X^{-}}\) ions in water. If the acid HX is a weak acid and it has a higher tendency to release a proton compared to the base, it is more likely to create an acidic solution when the salt \(\mathrm{BX}\) dissolves. Therefore, this statement can be true.

Statement b suggests that the acidic solution could be a result of the acid HX being a strong acid. A strong acid would completely dissociate into \(\mathrm{H^{+}}\) and \(\mathrm{X^{-}}\) ions in water. The base that forms the salt with the strong acid should be a weak one, so that it does not fully neutralize the \(\mathrm{H^{+}}\) ions. If the base that forms the salt with HX is weak, the overall solution resulting from the dissolution of the \(\mathrm{BX}\) salt could be acidic. Therefore, this statement can be true as well.

Statement c suggests that the acidic solution could be a result of the cation \(\mathrm{B^{+}}\) being a weak acid. When a salt is formed from a weak base and a strong acid, the cation of the weak base can act as a weak acid, allowing it to release a proton in the solution, resulting in an acidic solution. In this case, the overall solution resulting from the dissolution of the \(\mathrm{BX}\) salt could be acidic. Therefore, this statement can also be true. #Conclusion# All three statements a, b, and c can be true. The acidic solution produced by the dissolution of \(\mathrm{BX}\) in water can be a result of HX being a weak acid (a), HX being a strong acid (b), or the cation \(\mathrm{B^{+}}\) being a weak acid (c).