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The following equations describe some reactions in the formation of acid rain: $$ ext{SO}_2(g) + ext{H}_2 ext{O}(l) ightleftharpoons ext{H}^+(aq) + ext{HSO}_3^-(aq)$$ $$2 ext{H}^+(aq) + 2 ext{HSO}_3^-(aq) + ext{O}_2(g) ightleftharpoons 4 ext{H}^+(aq) + 2 ext{SO}_4^{2-}(aq)$$ What would occur if some solid sodium sulfate $( ext{Na}_2 ext{SO}_4)$ were added to a sample of acid rain? (A) The amount of SO₂(g) would increase and the acidity of the solution would decrease - HSC - SSCE Chemistry - Question 10 - 2001 - Paper 1
Question 10
The following equations describe some reactions in the formation of acid rain: $$ ext{SO}_2(g) + ext{H}_2 ext{O}(l) ightleftharpoons ext{H}^+(aq) + ext{HSO}_3^-... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The following equations describe some reactions in the formation of acid rain: $$ ext{SO}_2(g) + ext{H}_2 ext{O}(l) ightleftharpoons ext{H}^+(aq) + ext{HSO}_3^-(aq)$$ $$2 ext{H}^+(aq) + 2 ext{HSO}_3^-(aq) + ext{O}_2(g) ightleftharpoons 4 ext{H}^+(aq) + 2 ext{SO}_4^{2-}(aq)$$ What would occur if some solid sodium sulfate $( ext{Na}_2 ext{SO}_4)$ were added to a sample of acid rain? (A) The amount of SO₂(g) would increase and the acidity of the solution would decrease - HSC - SSCE Chemistry - Question 10 - 2001 - Paper 1
Step 1
What would occur if some solid sodium sulfate $(\text{Na}_2\text{SO}_4)$ were added to a sample of acid rain?
Answer
Adding solid sodium sulfate to the acid rain introduces more sulfate ions into the solution. The presence of sulfate ions will not significantly shift the equilibria of the reactions as they mainly involve sulfur dioxide and water. Therefore, the amount of SO₂(g) remains unchanged, and the overall acidity of the solution also remains unchanged since the introduction of Na₂SO₄ does not increase the concentration of H⁺ ions.