A fixed-volume container initially shows 5 ions and 10 ions dispersed among many…
CHEMISTRY · Single correct · AP · Chemistry · Properties of Substances and Mixtures · Properties of Substances and Mixtures
Problem
A fixed-volume container initially shows 5 Ca2+ ions and 10 Cl− ions dispersed among many water molecules. The solution is left to evaporate until the volume of water is reduced by half; no solute precipitates. Which change best describes how the particle diagram should be redrawn?
(a) The numbers of Ca2+ and Cl− ions double, while the number of water molecules stays the same.
(b) Both the numbers of Ca2+ and Cl− ions are halved, along with the water molecules, since some ions evaporate with the solvent.
(c) The numbers of Ca2+ and Cl− ions remain 5 and 10, respectively, but the ions appear twice as densely packed among fewer water molecules.
(d) The number of Cl− ions remains 10 while Ca2+ ions decrease to 3, altering the Ca2+:Cl− ratio.