Hydrolysis Of Salts
An aqueous solution of sodium acetate (CH₃COONa) at 25°C will be:
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Solution
Basic
Sodium acetate is a salt formed from a strong base (NaOH) and a weak acid (CH₃COOH). In aqueous solution, Na⁺ does not undergo hydrolysis (it comes from a strong base), but the acetate ion (CH₃COO⁻) hydrolyses: CH₃COO⁻ + H₂O ⇌ CH₃COOH + OH⁻. This produces excess OH⁻ ions, making the solution basic (pH > 7). The extent of hydrolysis depends on the weakness of the parent acid — since Ka of acetic acid is 1.8 × 10⁻⁵ (moderately weak), the solution is mildly basic, not strongly basic. For a 0.1 M solution, the pH is typically around 8.9, confirming a basic nature without extreme alkalinity.
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About This Question
- Subject
- chemistry
- Chapter
- equilibrium
- Topic
- hydrolysis of salts
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Basic
Sodium acetate is a salt formed from a strong base (NaOH) and a weak acid (CH₃COOH). In aqueous solution, Na⁺ does not undergo hydrolysis (it comes from a strong base), but the acetate ion (CH₃COO⁻) hydrolyses: CH₃COO⁻ + H₂O ⇌ CH₃COOH + OH⁻. This produces excess OH⁻ ions, making the solution basic (pH > 7). The extent of hydrolysis depends on the weakness of the parent acid — since Ka of acetic acid is 1.8 × 10⁻⁵ (moderately weak), the solution is mildly basic, not strongly basic. For a 0.1 M solution, the pH is typically around 8.9, confirming a basic nature without extreme alkalinity.
This easy difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter equilibrium, covering the topic of hydrolysis of salts. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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