Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 13: Problem 8

Explain the observation that all metal nitrates are water soluble but many metal sulfides are not. Among metal sulfides, which would you expect to be most soluble?

Short Answer

Expert verified
All metal nitrates are soluble in water as the nitrate ions can be efficiently shelled by water molecules, allowing for easy dissociation. Most metal sulfides, however, are not soluble due to their high lattice energy, which cannot be overcome by the hydration energy of water. The most soluble metal sulfides are those of alkali metals and highly electropositive metals due to their lower lattice energy.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Soluble Metal Nitrates

Metal nitrates are compounds that have metal cations bonded to nitrate anions. Nitrates are highly soluble in water due the ability of water molecules to effectively 'shell' the nitrate ions through ion-dipole interactions. Thus, the nitrates are able to dissociate easily in water.
02

Understanding Insoluble Metal Sulfides

Metal sulfides, on the other hand, involve a metal cation bonded to a sulfide anion. The lattice energy of metal sulfides is generally much higher than the hydration energy. This leads to most metal sulfides being insoluble in water.
03

Identifying Soluble Metal Sulfides

Considering the trend of solubility of metal sulfides, group 1 metal sulfides and those of highly electronegative metals are more soluble. This is because they have lower lattice energy and are more easily broken down by the hydration energy of water. Hence, alkali metal sulfides and those of highly electropositive metals are generally expected to be most soluble.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

A \(10.00 \%\) -by-mass solution of ethanol, \(\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{OH}\) in water has a density of \(0.9831 \mathrm{g} / \mathrm{mL}\) at \(15^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) and \(0.9804 \mathrm{g} / \mathrm{mL}\) at \(25^{\circ} \mathrm{C} .\) Calculate the molality of the ethanol-water solution at these two temperatures. Does the molality differ at the two temperatures (that is, at 15 and \(25^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) )? Would you expect the molarities to differ? Explain.

Which of the following is moderately soluble both in water and in benzene \(\left[\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{6}(1)\right]\), and why? (a) 1 -butanol, \(\mathrm{CH}_{3}\left(\mathrm{CH}_{2}\right)_{2} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{OH} ;\) (b) naphthalene, \(\mathrm{C}_{10} \mathrm{H}_{8} ;\) (c) hexane, \(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{14} ;\) (d) \(\mathrm{NaCl}(\mathrm{s})\)

Briefly describe each of the following ideas or phenomena: (a) Henry's law; (b) freezing-point depression; (c) recrystallization; (d) hydrated ion; (e) deliquescence.

At \(25^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) a \(0.50 \mathrm{g}\) sample of polyisobutylene (a polymer used in synthetic rubber) in \(100.0 \mathrm{mL}\) of benzene solution has an osmotic pressure that supports a \(5.1 \mathrm{mm}\) column of solution \((d=0.88 \mathrm{g} / \mathrm{mL}) .\) What is the molar mass of the polyisobutylene? (For \(\mathrm{Hg}\), \(d=13.6 \mathrm{g} / \mathrm{mL} .)\)

A certain brine has \(3.87 \%\) NaCl by mass. A \(75.0 \mathrm{mL}\) sample weighs 76.9 g. How many liters of this solution should be evaporated to dryness to obtain \(725 \mathrm{kg}\) \(\mathrm{NaCl} \)?
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

Nuclear Chemistry

Read Explanation

Chemical Reactions

Read Explanation

Chemistry Branches

Read Explanation

Chemical Analysis

Read Explanation

Organic Chemistry

Read Explanation

Kinetics

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free