Answer: An Element
Explanation:
An element is a substance that cannot be split into smaller substance. It is made up of one kind of atom and can exist either as molecules (e.g nitogen) or an atom (e.g argon).
PH of a solution will be <span>higher than 7
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Ammonium cyanide is a salt formed by hydrogen cyanide and ammonia. Ammonia is a weak base and hydrogen cyanide is a weak acid.
NH₄CN + H₂O ⇒ NH₃ + HCN
NH₄⁺ + H₂O -----> H₃O⁺ + NH₃
CN⁻ + H₂O -----> HCN + OH⁻
Although both compounds are weak electrolytes, NH₃ is somewhat stronger base than HCN is a strong acid, so the solution reacts alkaline. We can prove this using Ka and Kb values:
Ka(HCN) = 4.9 x × 10⁻¹⁰
Kb(NH₃) = 1.8 × 10⁻⁵<span>
Kw= </span>1.0 × 10⁻¹⁴
Let's first calculate Ka for NH₄⁺:
Ka(NH₄⁺) x Kb(NH₃<span>) = pKw
</span>Ka(NH₄⁺) = Kw/Kb(NH₃) = 5.6 x 10⁻¹⁰
Then, Kb for CN⁻:
Kb(CN⁻) x Ka(HCN) = pKw
Kb(CN⁻) = Kw/Ka(HCN) = 2 x 10⁻⁵
From this, we can see that the acid constant NH4⁺ is much lower than the base constant of CN⁻, which will say that the solution of NH₄CN will react slightly alkaline because of the higher presence of hydroxyl ions in solution.
