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Hydrogen chloride dissolves in water. The chemical change is:

HCl (gas) →
H (in water) + Cl (in water)

This change releases a lot of heat to its surroundings.

What is true about the potential energy of HCl when it dissolves in water?

Responses

The potential energy of HCl (gas) is equal to the potential energy of H (in water) and Cl (in water).
The potential energy of HCl ( gas ) is equal to the potential energy of H ( in water ) and Cl ( in water).

The potential energy of HCl (gas) is greater than the potential energy of H (in water) and Cl (in water).
The potential energy of HCl ( gas ) is greater than the potential energy of H ( in water ) and Cl ( in water ).

There is not enough information to determine the potential energy of HCl (gas) and the potential energy of H (in water) and Cl (in water).
There is not enough information to determine the potential energy of HCl ( gas ) and the potential energy of H ( in water ) and Cl ( in water ).

The potential energy of HCl (gas) is less than the potential energy of H (in water) and Cl (in water).

1 answer

When hydrogen chloride (HCl) dissolves in water, it undergoes an exothermic reaction, releasing heat to the surroundings. This indicates that the potential energy of the products (H in water and Cl in water) is lower than that of the reactant (HCl gas).

In summary, since energy is released in the form of heat during the dissolution process, we can conclude that:

The potential energy of HCl (gas) is greater than the potential energy of H (in water) and Cl (in water).

So the correct response is:

The potential energy of HCl ( gas ) is greater than the potential energy of H ( in water ) and Cl ( in water ).