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Multiple Choice
Which of the following substances is most likely to be soluble in water?
A
AgCl
B
PbSO4
C
BaCO3
D
NaCl
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Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Understand the concept of solubility in water, which depends largely on the ionic nature of the compound and the interactions between the ions and water molecules. Water is a polar solvent, so ionic compounds that dissociate easily into ions tend to be more soluble.
Step 2: Recall the solubility rules for common ionic compounds in water. For example, most alkali metal salts (like NaCl) and nitrates are soluble, while many salts containing Ag+, Pb2+, Ba2+, CO3^{2-}, and SO4^{2-} have limited solubility or are insoluble.
Step 3: Analyze each compound: AgCl is a silver halide known to be poorly soluble in water; PbSO4 (lead sulfate) has low solubility; BaCO3 (barium carbonate) is also generally insoluble in water due to the carbonate ion forming precipitates with many metal ions.
Step 4: Compare these with NaCl (sodium chloride), which is an alkali metal salt and is highly soluble in water because Na+ and Cl- ions dissociate readily and interact strongly with water molecules.
Step 5: Conclude that among the given options, NaCl is most likely to be soluble in water due to its ionic nature and the solubility rules that favor alkali metal salts.