Which one of the following aqueous solutions will be neutral ?
NH₄Cl
NaCl
KCN
NaHSO₄
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CISF-AC-EXE – 2020
A) NH₄Cl is formed from a weak base (NH₄OH) and a strong acid (HCl). The solution will be acidic due to the hydrolysis of NH₄⁺ ions.
B) NaCl is formed from a strong base (NaOH) and a strong acid (HCl). The solution will be neutral as neither Na⁺ nor Cl⁻ ions undergo significant hydrolysis.
C) KCN is formed from a strong base (KOH) and a weak acid (HCN). The solution will be basic due to the hydrolysis of CN⁻ ions.
D) NaHSO₄ is sodium bisulfate. It is formed from a strong base (NaOH) and sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), which is a strong acid. However, HSO₄⁻ is the conjugate base of the strong acid H₂SO₄, but it is also an acid itself that can donate a proton (HSO₄⁻ ⇌ H⁺ + SO₄²⁻). This makes the solution acidic.
Therefore, only NaCl forms a neutral aqueous solution.