The preparation of an aqueous solution is described in the table below. For this solution, write the chemical formulas of the major species present at equilibrium. You can leave out water itself.

Write the chemical formulas of the species that will act as acids in the "acids" row, the formulas of the species that will act as bases in the "bases" row, and the formulas of the species that will act as neither acids nor bases in the "other" row.

You will find it useful to keep in mind that [tex]$NH_3$[/tex] is a weak base.

0.1 mol of KOH is added to 1.0 L of a solution that is 0.4 M in both [tex]$NH_3$[/tex] and [tex][tex]$NH_4Br$[/tex][/tex].

| Acids | Bases | Other |
|-------|-------|-------|
| [tex]$\square$[/tex] | [tex]$\square$[/tex] | [tex]$\square$[/tex] |



Answer :

Let's go through the details step-by-step to determine the major species present at equilibrium when 0.1 mol of KOH is added to 1.0 L of a solution that is 0.4 M in both NH₃ and NH₄Br.

Step 1: Dissociation of KOH in Water
- KOH is a strong base and dissociates completely in water:
[tex]\[ \text{KOH} \rightarrow \text{K}^+ + \text{OH}^- \][/tex]

Step 2: Dissociation of NH₄Br in Water
- NH₄Br, being a salt, also dissociates completely in water:
[tex]\[ \text{NH}_4\text{Br} \rightarrow \text{NH}_4^+ + \text{Br}^- \][/tex]

Step 3: Equilibrium Consideration of NH₃ in Water
- NH₃ is a weak base and will partially dissociate in water to form NH₄⁺ and OH⁻:
[tex]\[ \text{NH}_3 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \rightleftharpoons \text{NH}_4^+ + \text{OH}^- \][/tex]

Step 4: Identification of Major Species Acting as Acids and Bases
- To identify the acids, we look for species that can donate a proton (H⁺ ion).
- To identify the bases, we look for species that can accept a proton (H⁺ ion).

Based on the dissociations and equilibrium provided:
- The NH₄⁺ ion will act as an acid because it can donate a proton.
- NH₃ can accept a proton and thus acts as a base.
- OH⁻ is a base because it can accept a proton to form water.

Step 5: Identification of Species that are Neither Acids nor Bases
- K⁺ and Br⁻ ions do not participate in proton transfer and are neither acids nor bases.

Final Answer: Listing the Species in the Appropriate Categories

- Acids: [tex]\(\text{NH}_4^+\)[/tex]
- Bases: [tex]\(\text{NH}_3, \text{OH}^-\)[/tex]
- Other: [tex]\(\text{K}^+, \text{Br}^-\)[/tex]

So, the final answer is:

Acids:
[tex]\[ \text{NH}_4^+ \][/tex]

Bases:
[tex]\[ \text{NH}_3, \text{OH}^- \][/tex]

Other:
[tex]\[ \text{K}^+, \text{Br}^- \][/tex]