Which statement is correct about salts containing ammonium?

Which statement is correct about salts containing ammonium?

• A. They are soluble
• B. They are insoluble
• C. Their solubility is not specified
• D. They decompose in water

Answer: (A)

Salts with the ammonium ion dissolve readily in water. The ammonium cation NH4+ forms strong hydration shells with water, and the lattice energy of these salts is overcome by this hydration, so the compound dissociates into NH4+ and the accompanying anion in solution. That’s why the correct statement is that they are soluble. The other ideas don’t fit ordinary behavior: they aren’t generally insoluble, their solubility is well established as soluble, and they don’t simply decompose just by being in water under normal conditions.

Salts with the ammonium ion dissolve readily in water. The ammonium cation NH4+ forms strong hydration shells with water, and the lattice energy of these salts is overcome by this hydration, so the compound dissociates into NH4+ and the accompanying anion in solution. That’s why the correct statement is that they are soluble. The other ideas don’t fit ordinary behavior: they aren’t generally insoluble, their solubility is well established as soluble, and they don’t simply decompose just by being in water under normal conditions.