Here's the breakdown:
* NaOH: This represents the chemical formula for sodium hydroxide itself.
* (aq): This abbreviation stands for "aqueous," indicating that the sodium hydroxide is dissolved in water.
It's important to note that in an aqueous solution, the sodium hydroxide dissociates into its ions:
NaOH(aq) → Na+(aq) + OH-(aq)
This means that the solution contains hydrated sodium ions (Na+) and hydroxide ions (OH-) in water.
