Question

A reaction of strong acid and a strong base forms ____________ .
(A) a precipitate
(B) a volatile product
(C) an insoluble salt and water
(D) a sulfate salt and water
(E) a salt and water

Answer 1

As we know that when a strong acid reacts with a strong base, a neutralization reaction takes place. The products formed in this reaction are salt and water. The characteristics of the product formed during the reaction do not match with either of the reactants.

Complete answer:
First let us discuss the neutralization reaction.
A neutralization reaction is a reaction in which an acid and a base react quantitatively to produce salt and water. In this reaction, we can generally see the combination of ${{H}^{+}}$ and $O{{H}^{-}}$ ions to form ${{H}_{2}}O$ as a product. When a strong acid reacts with the strong base, neutralization leads to exothermic reaction as heat is released.
Now, let us see an example where strong acid ($HCl$ ) reacts with a strong base ($NaOH$ ).
-$HCl$ in aqueous medium:-
$HC{{l}_{(aq)}}\to {{H}^{+}}_{(aq)}+C{{l}^{-}}_{(aq)}\text{----------eq(A)}$
Since, $HCl$is a strong acid, therefore it completely dissociates in aqueous medium.
-$NaOH$ in aqueous medium:-
$NaO{{H}_{(aq)}}\to N{{a}^{+}}_{(aq)}+O{{H}^{-}}_{(aq)}\text{----------eq(B)}$
Similarly, $NaOH$being a strong base, completely dissociates in aqueous medium.
On equating the equation (A) and (B), we get the following reaction:-
$HC{{l}_{(aq)}}+NaO{{H}_{(aq)}}\to NaC{{l}_{(aq)}}+{{H}_{2}}O$
Let’s check the reaction according to the definition of neutralization reaction,
When a strong acid ($HCl$) reacts with a strong base ($NaOH$) quantitatively, salt (NaCl) is produced along with water.

Hence the correct option is (E) a salt and water .

Note:
While solving questions related to neutralization reactions, always check the number of equivalents of the reactants so as to obtain an accurate amount of product value.
-When you come across chemical reactions, try to balance it and solve further. Also, these neutralization reactions are very helpful while performing acid-base titrations.