Question

Give the formula of a compound of nitrogen that is (a) a weak base. (b) a strong acid. (c) a weak acid. (d) capable of oxidizing copper.

Short answer

Question: Identify a compound of nitrogen for each of the following categories: (a) weak base, (b) strong acid, (c) weak acid, and (d) capable of oxidizing copper. Answer: (a) Ammonia (NH3), (b) Nitric acid (HNO3), (c) Hydrazoic acid (HN3), and (d) Nitric acid (HNO3).

Step-by-step solution

a) Weak base

A weak base is a base that does not fully dissociate into its ions in solution. Ammonia (NH3) is a weak base. It does not completely ionize in water, only partially reacting with water to form ammonium (NH4+) and hydroxide (OH-) ions.

b) Strong acid

For a nitrogen compound that is a strong acid, we can consider nitric acid (HNO3). It is a strong acid because it fully dissociates in water, ionizing to form hydrogen ions (H+) and nitrate ions (NO3-).

c) Weak acid

A weak acid refers to an acid that does not fully dissociate in water. For a nitrogen compound, this would be hydrazoic acid (HN3). In a solution, it only partially ionizes to produce hydrogen ions (H+) and azide ions (N3-).

d) Capable of oxidizing copper

For a nitrogen compound that can oxidize copper, we can refer to nitric acid (HNO3) again. In this reaction, nitric acid oxidizes copper into copper(II) ions while the nitrogen in nitric acid is reduced, ultimately producing nitrogen monoxide (NO) and water (H2O) as products. The overall reaction can be written as: 3Cu(s) + 8HNO3(aq) -> 3Cu(NO3)2(aq) + 2NO(g) + 4H2O(l)