Question

The chemical formula of sodium hydroxide is:
A. $NaCl$
B. $NaOH$
C.$NaNO_{3}$
D. $None of the above$

Answer 1

The common name of sodium hydroxide is caustic soda. Sodium hydroxide is a strongly alkaline white deliquescent compound which is mainly used in many industrial processes.

Complete step by step answer: ${\text{NaOH}}$ is the chemical formula of sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide as liquid is colourless and has no odour. Moreover, it can react violently with strong acids and with water also. Lye is also the other common name for sodium hydroxide. The compound ${\text{NaOH}}$ is called sodium hydroxide. It is so called because it contains the ${\text{N}}{{\text{a}}^{\text{ + }}}$ sodium cation and the ${\text{O}}{{\text{H}}^{\text{ - }}}$ hydroxide anion. It is a very corrosive white crystalline solid that readily absorbs moisture until it dissolves so, commonly called caustic soda, lye or sodium hydroxide is the most widely used industrial alkali. Therefore, it is highly corrosive to animal and vegetable tissues. Talking about some important points regarding sodium hydroxide. When it is dissolved in water, it dissociates into ${\text{N}}{{\text{a}}^{\text{ + }}}{\text{and O}}{{\text{H}}^{\text{ - }}}$. Sodium hydroxide is a compound. A compound is either classified as an acid, base or salt. As all the bases which contain ${\text{O}}{{\text{H}}^{\text{ - }}}$(hydroxide) ions, while all acids contain ${{\text{H}}^{\text{ + }}}$(hydrogen) ions. So, a salt is a compound that is formed when a base and an acid combined because they neutralize each other.

Note: Sodium salts of higher fatty acids are called soaps. Soap making requires sodium hydroxide, which is called caustic soda or lye. Chlorine bleach is one of the examples of soap made by combining chlorine and sodium hydroxide.