Question

Which one of the following salts, when dissolved in water, produces the solution with the highest ph?

a) CH3CH3NH3Br b)CsI c) KClO4 d) NaHSO4 e)NH4Cl

Answer 1

highest pH --> means it is pretty basic

OH- must be high

a) CH3CH3NH3Br

CH3CH3NH3Br --> CH3CH3NH3 + Br-

CH3CH3NH3+ --> CH3CH3NH2 + H+

this is acidic, low pH

b)CsI

this is not likely to form a basic solution

c) KClO4

this is not likely to form a basic solution

d) NaHSO4

Na+ + HSO4-

HSO4- + H2O <--< H3O+ SO4-2

e)NH4Cl

NH4+ + Cl-

NH4+ --> NH3 + H+

this is acidic

therefore

the highest pH is likely to be

KClO4, since pH = 7 (neutral)