Question

Give an example of covalent hydride which ionises in water

Answer 1

An example of covalent hydride which ionizes in water is Ammonia ${\mathrm{NH}}_3$

• Ammonia contains a nitrogen atom that is covalently bonded to three hydrogen atoms hence it is a covalent hydride
• An aqueous solution of ammonia will produce a basic solution
• A small amount of ammonia dissolves in water and forms ammonium hydroxide ${\mathrm{NH}}_4\mathrm{OH}$ it dissociates into ammonium ions and hydroxide ions.

${\mathrm{NH}}_4\mathrm{OH}\stackrel{\left[\mathrm{aq}\right]}{\rightleftharpoons }{{\mathrm{NH}}_4}^{+}+{\mathrm{OH}}^{-}$