To determine which of the given salts will produce a basic solution when added to water, we need to consider the behavior of the ions in each salt when they dissolve in water.
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Sodium perchlorate, NaClO4: Sodium (Na⁺) is the cation from a strong base (NaOH), and perchlorate (ClO4⁻) is the anion from a strong acid (HClO4). Therefore, neither ion will hydrolyze to produce OH⁻. This salt will not produce a basic solution.
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Potassium nitrate, KNO3: Potassium (K⁺) comes from a strong base (KOH), and nitrate (NO3⁻) comes from a strong acid (HNO3). Similar to NaClO4, neither ion will hydrolyze to produce OH⁻, so this salt will not produce a basic solution.
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Barium nitrate, Ba(NO3)2: Barium (Ba²⁺) also comes from a strong base (Ba(OH)2), and nitrate is from a strong acid. Thus, this salt will not produce a basic solution either, as neither ion will create OH⁻ in solution.
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Lithium sulfate, Li2SO4: Lithium (Li⁺) comes from a strong base (LiOH), but sulfate (SO4²⁻) is the conjugate base of a weak acid (H2SO4). The sulfate ion can engage in hydrolysis, resulting in a weakly basic solution, albeit not strongly basic.
Of the options provided, the one that may potentially yield a basic solution is lithium sulfate, Li2SO4, because the sulfate ion can contribute to the formation of hydroxide ions, albeit weakly.
Therefore, the answer is lithium sulfate, Li2SO4.
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