Question

When a few drops of dilute hydrochloric acid are added to silver nitrate solution, then what product will be formed?

Answer 1

The dilute hydrochloric acid is an acid that gives proton to another reactant is silver nitrate. One should write the reaction scheme and think about the possible products which will form by the role of each reactant.

Complete step by step answer:

1. First of all let's understand the role of each reactant in the above reaction. The dilute hydrochloric acid ${\text{HC}}{{\text{l}}_{(aq)}}$ is an acid that gives or donates the proton or hydrogen atom.
2. The other reactant which is silver nitrate $AgN{O_3}$ reacts with hydrochloric acid and replaces the nitrate ion with the chlorine atom and forms the silver chloride ${\text{AgCl}}$ as a product. The nitrate ion $N{O_3}^ -$ which is a negatively charged species then accepts the proton or hydrogen from the hydrochloric acid and forms nitric acid.
3. Now let’s write all this representation in a schematic reaction:
   $AgC{l_{(s)}} + HC{l_{(aq)}} \to AgC{l_{(s)}} + HN{O_{3(aq)}}$
4. Therefore, when a few drops of dilute hydrochloric acid are added to silver nitrate solution, then the product silver chloride is formed as precipitate along with aqueous nitric acid.

Additional information: The solid cloudy precipitate formed of silver chloride particles will settle to the bottom of the beaker and gradually the color of the precipitate will turn into a slight "purplish" color as silver in the reaction mixture is sensitive to light. Some silver in the silver chloride is reduced into silver metal.

Note:
The product silver chloride formed is a solid precipitate and it has a cloudy white appearance. Eventually, the precipitate formed will settle down at the bottom of the product solution beaker. The white-colored ppt of silver nitrate is soluble in the solution of ammonium hydroxide which forms a clear solution.