Question

1. a) three unlabeled bottles containing solutions were found in the chemical storage. the labels had fallen off overnight! the solutions contained sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid and sodium chloride. the following table is the data collected from tests that were done to help you identify the solutions. (6 marks)

solution	colour with litmus paper		bromothymol blue	identify
a	red	blue	green
b	blue	blue	blue
c	red	red	yellow

Explanation:

Step1: Recall litmus paper and bromothymol blue indicators

Litmus paper turns red in acidic solutions and blue in basic solutions. Bromothymol blue is yellow in acidic solutions, blue in basic solutions and green in neutral solutions.

Step2: Analyze Solution A

Red litmus turns blue and blue litmus turns red, and bromothymol blue is green. This indicates a neutral solution. Sodium chloride ($NaCl$) is a neutral salt solution. So Solution A is sodium chloride.

Step3: Analyze Solution B

Both red and blue litmus turn blue and bromothymol blue is blue. This indicates a basic solution. Sodium hydroxide ($NaOH$) is a strong - base. So Solution B is sodium hydroxide.

Step4: Analyze Solution C

Both red and blue litmus turn red and bromothymol blue is yellow. This indicates an acidic solution. Hydrochloric acid ($HCl$) is a strong - acid. So Solution C is hydrochloric acid.

Answer:

Solution A: Sodium Chloride
Solution B: Sodium Hydroxide
Solution C: Hydrochloric Acid