Question
Use the equation of sodium chloride dissolving in water to complete the activity.
NaCl(s) ⇄ Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq)
A student is testing two clear liquids. One liquid is water that has been modified to have a basic pH. The other liquid is a sports drink that contains added electrolytes, including Na+(aq). How can the student use the equilibrium reaction of sodium chloride to determine which liquid is which? In three to five sentences, explain your answer.
NaCl(s) ⇄ Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq)
A student is testing two clear liquids. One liquid is water that has been modified to have a basic pH. The other liquid is a sports drink that contains added electrolytes, including Na+(aq). How can the student use the equilibrium reaction of sodium chloride to determine which liquid is which? In three to five sentences, explain your answer.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The student can use the equilibrium reaction of sodium chloride (NaCl) dissolving in water to determine which liquid is which by observing the behavior of each liquid when NaCl is added. In the liquid with a basic pH, the increased concentration of hydroxide ions (OH-) may shift the equilibrium to the left, favoring the solid NaCl form due to the common ion effect and decreasing the solubility of NaCl. In contrast, the sports drink, which already contains Na+ ions, will likely maintain a balanced equilibrium, allowing NaCl to dissolve more readily without a significant shift. By measuring the amount of NaCl that dissolves in each liquid, the student can identify the basic solution as the one where NaCl dissolves less, while the sports drink would allow for more NaCl to dissolve.