In order to dilute a concentrated acid, should water be added to the acid or acid be added to the water? Explain your choices.

Open in App

Solution

Concentrated acid is an acid which contains a high concentration of hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution while dilute acid is a that acid contains a very small amount of ions in an aqueous solution.
Dilution of an acid:
In order to dilute a concentrated acid, we should always add an acid to the water and never add acid to water.
The process of diluting a concentrated acid is an exothermic process.
If water is added to a concentrated acid, the heat generated may cause the mixture to splash out and cause burns.
Suppose if we add acid to water slowly with constant stirring, the mixture will not splash out.
Therefore, in order to dilute a concentrated acid, we should always add an acid to the water.

Suggest Corrections

Similar questions

Q. (a) What are the common names of (a) CaOCl₂, and (b) Na₂CO₃.10H₂O?
(b) Why should plaster of Paris be stored in a moisture-proof container?
(c) Explain why, while diluting a concentrated acid, acid should be added to water and not water to the acid.

Give reasons for the following:
(i) In the contact process, sulphur trioxide formed is dissolved in 98% sulphuric acid and not in water.
(ii) When solution of sulphur dioxide is exposed to air, it gets converted to sulphuric acid.
(iii) When diluting concentrated sulphuric acid, the acid should be added to water and not water to the acid.
(iv) When concentrated sulphuric acid is exposed to air, its volume increases and it becomes slightly dilute.
(v) Sulphuric acid can form two kinds of salts with sodium chloride.
(vi) When barium chloride is added to dilute sulphuric acid, a white precipitate is formed.
(vii) When carbon is heated with concentrated sulphuric acid, carbon dioxide is formed.
(viii) Ammonia gas cannot be dried by passing through concentrated sulphuric acid.
(ix) When concentrated sulphuric acid is added to sugar/glucose, a black mass is left behind.
(x) Concentrated sulphuric acid should not be added to oxalic acid or formic acid in the open laboratory.
(xi) When concentrated sulphuric acid is added to blue crystalline copper sulphate, it turns powdery white.
(xii) Concentrated sulphuric acid must be stored in airtight bottles.
(xiii) Cotton clothes get burnt with concentrated sulphuric acid.
(xiv) H₂SO₄ cannot be prepared by heating sodium sulphate with conc. HCl or HNO₃.

Q. While diluting concentrated sulphuric acid, the acid should be added to water and not water to the acid. Explain why? [3 MARKS]

While diluting concentrated sulphuric acid, the water should be added to acids and not acid to the water.

Q. Why should water never be added to concentrated sulphuric acid to dilute it?

Join BYJU'S Learning Program