Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) -

o Is usually dispensed as semi spherical pellets.

o Is a caustic substance and skin contact should be avoided.
o Is hydroscopic (ie will absorb water from the air when exposed).

This means that an accurate, dry weight is difficult to determine

o NaOH (sodium hydroxide), when exposed to the air, will react with the
carbon dioxide in air, to form sodium carbonate (see equation).

This means that sodium hydroxide as a solid or in solution will loose its
strength with time and degree of exposure and solutions of NaOH will
need to be standardised.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) ionises in water as shown by the following equation

-
NaOH + H2O <=> Na+ + OH- +
H2O

This equation shows that in solution NaOH will release hydroxide ions
(OH-).

The excess of OH- ions in solution causes that solution to be basic or

alkaline and caustic.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution and Titration-

0.1 M NaOH is used as the titrant in the determination of titratable acidity

and volatile acidity.

0.01 M NaOH is used as the titrant in the determination of SO2 (sulphur

dioxide).

Sodium hydroxide's (NaOH) Molecular Weight -

The molecular weight of NaOH is 40

ie AW of Na = 23, O = 16 and H = 1

therefore 23 + 16 +1 = 40

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye or caustic soda, is a caustic metallic
base. It is widely used in industry, mostly as a strong chemical base in the manufacture of
vinyl chloride (for PVC), paper, textiles, and detergents. Worldwide production in 1998
was around 45 million tonnes. Sodium hydroxide is also the most common base used in
chemical laboratories.

General properties
Pure sodium hydroxide is a white solid, available in pellets, flakes, granules, and also
50% saturated solution. It is very deliquescent and also readily absorbs carbon dioxide
from the air, so it should be stored in an airtight container. It is very soluble in water with
liberation of heat. It also dissolves in ethanol and methanol, though it exhibits lower
solubility in these solvents than does potassium hydroxide. It is insoluble in ether and
other non-polar solvents. A sodium hydroxide solution will leave a yellow stain on fabric
and paper.

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Chemical properties
Sodium hydroxide is completely ionic, containing sodium ions and hydroxide ions. The
hydroxide ion makes sodium hydroxide a strong base which reacts with acids to form
water and the corresponding salts, e.g., with hydrochloric acid sodium chloride is formed:

NaOH(aq) + HCl(aq) NaCl(aq) + H2O(l)

In general such reactions are represented by one simple net ionic equation:

OH(aq) + H+(aq) H2O

This type of reaction releases heat when a strong acid is used. Such acid-base reactions
can also be used for titrations, and indeed this is a common way for measuring the
concentration of acids. Related to this is the reaction of sodium hydroxide with acidic
oxides. The reaction of carbon dioxide has already been mentioned, but other acidic
oxides such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) also react completely. Such reactions are often used
to "scrub" harmful acidic gases (like SO2) and prevent their release into the atmosphere.

2 NaOH + CO2 Na2CO3 + H2O

Sodium hydroxide slowly reacts with glass to form sodium silicate, so glass joints and
stopcocks exposed to NaOH have a tendency to "freeze". Flasks and glass-lined chemical
reactors are damaged by long exposure to hot sodium hydroxide, and the glass becomes
frosted. Sodium hydroxide does not attack iron or copper, but many other metals such as
aluminium, zinc and titanium are attacked rapidly. In 1986 an aluminium road tanker in
the UK was mistakenly used to transport 25% sodium hydroxide solution, causing
pressurisation of the contents and damage to the tanker. For this same reason aluminium
pans should never be cleaned with lye.
 2 Al(s) + 6 NaOH(aq) 3 H2 (g) + 2 Na3AlO3(aq)

Many non-metals also react with sodium hydroxide, giving salts. For example
phosphorus forms sodium hypophosphite, while silicon gives sodium silicate.

Unlike NaOH, the hydroxides of most metals are insoluble, and therefore sodium
hydroxide can be used to precipitate metal hydroxides. One such hydroxide is aluminium
hydroxide, used as a gelatinous floc to filter out particulate matter in water treatment.
Aluminium hydroxide is prepared at the treatment plant from aluminium sulfate by
reaction with NaOH:

6 NaOH(aq) + Al2(SO4)3(aq) 2 Al(OH)3(s) + 3 Na2SO4(aq)

Sodium hydroxide reacts readily with carboxylic acids to form their salts, and it is even a
strong enough base to form salts with phenols. NaOH can also be used for the base-
driven hydrolysis of esters (as is saponification), amides and alkyl halides. However, the
limited solubility of NaOH in organic solvents means that the more soluble KOH is often
preferred.

Basic hydrolysis of an ester

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Nomenclature
Both sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) are commonly called
"lye" in North America, which can lead to some confusion. However, most commercially
available lye is NaOH. Lye is also a main ingredient in the making of soap. NaOH is now
most commonly used for this, but traditionally KOH was used because it was easier to
obtain. Caustic means "burning" and caustic soda takes its name from the dangerous skin
burns that it can cause. In the chemical industry it is widely known simply as "caustic."