Question

Dilute hydrochloric acid and dilute sulfuric acid are both colourless solutions.

How will the addition of barium chloride solution to each help to distinguish between the two?

Answer 1

1. When barium chloride is added to both sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid, displacement occurs.
2. Sulfuric acid displace the more volatile acid from it and give white precipitate of barium sulfate.
3. $$\begin{gathered} {\mathrm{BaCl}}_2\left(\mathrm{s}\right)+{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{SO}}_4\left(\mathrm{l}\right)\to {\mathrm{BaSO}}_4\left(\mathrm{aq}\right)\downarrow +2\mathrm{HCl}\left(\mathrm{l}\right) \\ (\mathrm{Barium}(\mathrm{Sulfuric}(\mathrm{Barium}(\mathrm{hydrochlric} \\ \mathrm{chloride})\mathrm{acid})\mathrm{sulfate})\mathrm{acid}) \end{gathered}$$
4. When barium chloride is added to hydrochloric acid no reaction occur.
5. $$\begin{gathered} {\mathrm{BaCl}}_2\left(\mathrm{s}\right)+\mathrm{HCl}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)\to \mathrm{No}\mathrm{reaction} \\ (\mathrm{Barium}(\mathrm{Hydrochlric} \\ \mathrm{chloride})\mathrm{acid}) \end{gathered}$$