Question

Designate the acid and the base and the conjugate acid and conjugate base. Also, predict whether equilibrium lies predominantly to the left or to the right.

HSO₄⁻ + NH₃ ↔ SO₄²⁻ + NH₄⁺

Answer 1

The acid in the reaction is HSO₄⁻ and the base is NH₃. The equilibrium of the reaction will lie predominantly to the right because the conjugate acid-base pair formed by NH₃/NH₄⁺ is weaker than the pair formed by HSO₄⁻/SO₄²⁻.

Step-by-step explanation:

The acid in the reaction is HSO₄⁻ and the base is NH₃. The conjugate acid of HSO₄⁻ is SO₄²⁻ and the conjugate base of NH₃ is NH₄⁺.

The equilibrium of the reaction will lie predominantly to the right because the conjugate acid-base pair formed by NH₃/NH₄⁺ is weaker than the pair formed by HSO₄⁻/SO₄²⁻.

An acid-base equilibrium always favors the side with the weaker acid and base, which in this case is on the right side of the reaction.