Question

Which statement is true about sodium hydroxide (NaOH)?

Answer 1

Answer: The correct answer is it is a base because it increases the concentration of hydroxide ions.

Explanation:

An acid is defined as the chemical specie which donates hydrogen ion when dissolved in water.

$HA(aq.)\rightarrow H^+(aq.)+A^-(aq.)$

A base is defined as the chemical specie which donates hydroxide ion when dissolved in water.

$BOH(aq.)\rightarrow B^+(aq.)+OH^-(aq.)$

A salt is formed when an acid reacts with base. This is known as neutralization reaction.

NaOH is considered a base because it produces sodium and hydroxide ions when dissolved in water.

$NaOH(aq.)\rightarrow Na^+(aq.)+OH^-(aq.)$

Hence, the correct answer is it is a base because it increases the concentration of hydroxide ions.

Answer 2

The answer is; It is salt because it is formed by the reaction of an acid and a base.

Salt is composed of cations and anions (with a net charge of 0) joined together by ionic bonds attributed to their complementary charges. NaOH is an alkali salt because it forms an alkaline solution when dissolved in water – because it dissociates hydroxide ions.