Alkali

Alkali is pronounced like alcohol, with ‘lie’ at the end instead of ‘hol’. An alkali is any substance which produces OH– ions in water. OH– ions are called hydroxide ions. If there are excess of (OH)– ions when a compound is dissolved in water, the solution is called a base or an alkaline solution. A base is generally a metal hydroxide solution.   Table below lists some of the common alkalis available in our everyday lives. Name of alkali Chemical Formula Dissociation in water Sodium Hydroxide NaOH Na+ + (OH)– Potassium Hydroxide KOH H+ + NO3– Ammonium Hydroxide NH4OH NH4+ + (OH)– A substance which will neutralize an acid, but does not dissolve in water, is called a base. For example, copper (II) oxide, iron (II) oxide and zinc carbonate are bases. They do not dissolve in water. Any base which dissolves in water is called an alkali. The outer circle encloses all bases, while the inner… Read More »AN ALKALI