Inorganic Chemistry> Give reasons for the following (i) Sodium...

Give reasons for the following
(i) Sodium carbonate is made by Solvay process but the same process is not extended to the manufacture of potassium carbonate.
(ii) Hydrogen peroxide is a better oxidizing agent than water.
(iii) Magnesium oxide is used for the lining of steel making furnace.
(iv) Why is sodium chloride added during electrolysis of fused anhydrous magnesium chloride?
(v) Hydrogen peroxide acts as an oxidizing as well as a reducing agent.
(vi) The crystalline salts of alkaline earth metals contain more water of crystallization than the corresponding alkali metal slats.
(vii) BeCI₂ can be easily hydrolysed.

Hrishant Goswami , 10 Years ago

Grade 10

1 Answers

Jitender Pal

Last Activity: 10 Years ago

Hello Student,

Please find the answer to your question

(i) Potassium carbonate cannot be manufactured by Solvay process, since; unlike sodium hydrogen carbonate, potassium hydrogen carbonate is rather too soluble in water to be precipitated like NaHCO₃.

(ii) H₂O₂ is a better oxidizing agent than H₂O because oxidation number of oxygen in H₂O₂ is – 1 and that in water it is -2. So H₂O easily reduces to -2 oxidation number.

(iii) MgO is used for the lining of steel making furnace because it acts as basic flux and facilitates the removal of acidic impurities of Si, P and S from steel through slag formation.

(iv) The anhydrous magnesium chloride is fused with NaCl to provide conductivity to the electrolyte and to lower the fusion temperature of anhydrous MgCI₂.

NOTE : NaCl prevents hydrolysis o f MgCI₂

(v) The oxidation state of oxygen in H₂O₂ (i.e. -1) can be changed to 0 or -2 i.e oxygen in H₂O₂ exists in an intermediate oxidation state with respect to O₂ and O^2-. Hence it acts both as an oxidising and reducing agent.

(vi) NOTE : Smaller the size of cation, higher gill be hydration tendency because hydration energy of cation is inversely proportional to size of cation: The size of alkaline earth metal ions are smaller than the size of alkali metal ions. So in crystalline form the salts of alkaline earth metals have more water molecules than those, of alkali metals.

(vii) BeCI₂ is hydrolysed due to high polarising power and presence of vacant p-orbitals in Be-atom.