Question

Why do Chloroethanoic acid(s) do not hydrolyze? Is it because it they has(have) Cl atom(s)?

But the NH4^+ ions in NH4Cl do hydrolyze.

What is the reason for this difference?

Answer 1

Cl^-(ions) don't hydrolyze because H2O is a strong base. NH4^+ hydrolyze (to NH3 and H3O^+) because they are a stronger acid than H2O. Remember NH4Cl is an ionic bond.

In cloroethanoic acid the bond is more covalent.

Answer 2

Thank you!

Answer 3

And one more question:
Is the type of bond(covalent!ionic) also important in deciding how easily a compound will hydrolyze?

Answer 4

Not really. Chloride iond don't hydrolyze because they are such weak bases compared to H2O. Hydrolysis is controlled with the strength of the ion as an acid or base compared to H2O. When the atom is attached to a molecule, such as benzene or something like that (chlorobenzene, bromobenzene, etc), some ions that we might thing of as easily hydrolyzed don't because they are attached to that organic molecule and the bond to the organic molecule is so strong that the atom/ion can't "remove" itself from the organic molecule in order to go through the hydrolysis reaction.

Answer 5

Thank you!