Understanding the Concepts
* Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH): A strong base that completely dissociates in water, meaning it releases all its hydroxide ions (OH-) into solution.
* pH: A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14:
* 0-6: Acidic
* 7: Neutral
* 8-14: Basic (alkaline)
* pOH: A measure of hydroxide ion concentration. pOH and pH are related by the equation: pH + pOH = 14
Calculations
1. Find the pOH:
* Since NaOH is a strong base, the concentration of hydroxide ions ([OH-]) is equal to the concentration of NaOH, which is 10 mol/L.
* pOH = -log[OH-] = -log(10) = -1
2. Find the pH:
* pH + pOH = 14
* pH = 14 - pOH = 14 - (-1) = 15
Important Note: A pH of 15 is extremely basic and is outside the typical range of the pH scale. This is because the concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution is very high. Such a high concentration is rarely encountered in everyday situations.
In Summary:
The pH of a 10 mol/L sodium hydroxide solution is 15.