Question

Gerald's science teacher mixed room temperature samples of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide in a large beaker. The solution still looked clear like water, but when the students carefully touched the beaker one at a time, it felt warm to the touch.

Why did the beaker most likely feel warm?

Answer 1

HCl is a strong acid and NaOH is a strong base, so mixing them together will produce a lot of heat. The products are salt or Sodium chloride (NaCl) and water (H2O). Since one is an acid and one is a base they will neutralize each other. I hope this helps

Answer 2

The beaker feels warm because is an exothermic reaction

Step-by-step explanation:

An exothermic reaction is one that releases energy, in this case, through heat. Then, when HCl, a strong acid, and NaOH, a strong base, are mixed together it is produced a salt and water with a release of energy. The reaction is expressed as:

HCl + NaOH ------> NaCl + HCl + Energy

This happens because the energy of the products is lower than the energy of the reactants.