Answer to Question #156023 in General Chemistry for Lia Rodriguez

Question

In an attempt to identify an unknown substance, some tests were carried out.

Obtaining the following results:

Upon adding a piece of magnesium tape, intense bubbling was observed. The blue litmus paper turned red, and when measuring the pH it returned a value of 0.98. By adding bicarbonate, gas was released.
Based on these data, you may suspect that the substance is:

A. weak acid

B. Strong acid

C. Weak base

D. Strong base

E. Both a and b are correct

Answer 1

The low pH, hydrogen release when adding Mg, the release of CO2 when adding bicarbonate and turning the litmus paper red allows to suggest that the substance is an acid. We do not know the concentration of the acid, so, despite the significantly low pH, both a and b are correct.

SOLUTION: E, STRONG OR WEAK ACID.