Question

Chloride which is insoluble in water is:
A. Sodium chloride
B. Potassium chloride
C. Mercurous chloride
D. Calcium chloride

Answer 1

Hint: Chlorides are the salt which contain the chlorine along with a metal cation. The metal cation which is the least reactive will form the chloride which is least reactive with water, or insoluble.

Complete step by step answer:
- Mercurous chloride (mercury [I] chloride, $H{{g}_{2}}C{{l}_{2}}$, could be a white powder that's nearly insoluble in water. It's also called calomel. chloride reacts with ammonia to provide a black solid, and this reaction has been widely utilized in the identification of dissolved mercury ions in water sources. calomel finds uses as a purgative (laxative), and within the preparation of insecticides and medicines. It's also been accustomed to treat infections of intestinal worms and as a fungicide (a substance that wants to kill fungi and forestall fungal growth) in agriculture.
- Mercurous chloride has been most frequently used as a treatment for intestinal worms. Within the past, large doses were often accustomed to stimulate the intestines and take away blockages, although it's rarely utilized in medicine today thanks to the toxicity of mercury. When it's used as a laxative, if the treatment fails to figure, large doses of other laxatives and water must be wont to ensure that no mercury is allowed to accumulate within the body. Mercury toxicity often ends up in severe neurological damage (vapors of mercury are way more dangerous than solid mercury compounds, although all mercury compounds are considered highly poisonous), thanks to the extremely low solubility of calomel in water, little is sometimes absorbed by the body, making it safer than the general public would expect.
- So mercurous chloride is the correct answer. So, the correct answer is “Option C”.

Note: In laboratories, calomel electrodes are commonly found in pH meters and this is often how chloride is widely used today.