Question

What happens when sodium hydroxide is added to a metallic salt solution? Give the equations involved.

Answer 1

When sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is added to a metallic salt solution, it reacts with the salt to form an insoluble metallic hydroxide precipitate and a soluble sodium salt.

Example:

When sodium hydroxide is added to copper(II) sulphate solution:

\[\ce{CuSO4​ + 2NaOH -> Cu(OH)2​ ↓ + Na2​SO4​}\]

Here, Cu(OH)₂ is a blue precipitate of copper(II) hydroxide.