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What is the Equivalent Weight of NaOH

What is the equivalent weight of NaOH? Find the answer to this question and access a vast question bank that is customised for the student.

Answer:

The equivalent weight of a compound is defined as its molecular weight divided by the number of equivalent molecules. The valence factor, or equivalent moles, is determined by the chemical characteristics of the substance. The comparable number of moles for acids, for example, is simply no release.

Equivalent weight = Molecular weight/Number of  equivalent moles  

The chemical formula for sodium hydroxide is NaOH. At ambient temperature, sodium hydroxide is a white crystalline solid. It has no odor and absorbs moisture from the environment. When it is mixed with water, it produces heat that is adequate to ignite flammable materials.

We need to calculate the equivalent weight of sodium hydroxide. The above-mentioned sodium hydroxide has one detachable or basic OH. To put it another way, one mole of sodium hydroxide equals one mole of monobasic acid. Sodium hydroxide reacts with an acid such as hydrochloric acid HCl as seen in the chemical reaction below, 

HCl1 mole + NaOH1 mole → NaCl + H2

The steps to be followed to find the equivalent weight of NaOH is:

  1. To begin, we must determine the molecular weight of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Sodium has a molecular weight of 23 g/mol, oxygen has a molecular weight of 16 g/mol, and hydrogen has a molecular weight of 1 g/mol.

  2. Now, the molecular weight of sodium hydroxide will be: Mol. wt = 23 + 16 + 1 = 40 g/mol.

  3. One hydroxide ion exists in sodium hydroxide. As a result, the number of equivalent moles is 1.

  4. Next, substitute the molecular weight and the number of equivalent moles in formula of equivalent weight, we get

Equivalent weight of NaOH = Molecular weight/Number of equivalent moles = (40g/mol)/1 = 40g/mol

Hence, the equivalent weight of NaOH is 40g/mol.