The pH of 0.1 M solution of the following salts increases in the order

Options

A. `NaCl gt NH_(4)Cl lt NaCN lt HCl`
B. `HCl lt NH_(4)Cl lt NaCl lt NaCN`
C. `NaCN lt NH_(4)Cl lt NaCl lt HCl`
D. `HCl lt NaCl lt NaCN lt NH_(4)Cl`

Answer

B

Explanation

The characteristics of the given solutions are:
NaCl neutral solution
`NH_(4)Cl` slightly acidic due to the reaction
`NH_(4)^(+) + H_(2)O hArr NH_(4)OH + H^(+)`
NaCN slightly alkaline due to the reaction
`CN^(-) + H_(2)O hArr HCN + OH^(-)`
HCl highly acidic
The pH of the solution will follow the order highly acidic `lt` slightly acidic `lt` neutral `lt`slightly alkaline i.e., `HCl lt NH_(4)Cl lt NaCl lt NaCN`.