Final answer:
Methyl orange changes color from red to yellow in the presence of base, which makes it a useful indicator in titrations involving sodium hydroxide, yet it's less accurate for this purpose compared to other indicators due to its gradual color change.
Step-by-step explanation:
Methyl orange is used in titrations involving sodium hydroxide (NaOH) due to its color change properties in the presence of acids and bases. When acid is added to a methyl orange solution, the equilibrium shifts towards the red, nonionized form of methyl orange. However, when base like NaOH is added, this shifts the equilibrium towards the yellow anion form.
For a titration with hydrochloric acid (HCl), methyl orange might not be the most accurate indicator due to its gradual color change and its transition from yellow to orange to red, which can make it hard to pinpoint the endpoint precisely. Instead, indicators like phenolphthalein or bromothymol blue might be preferred for their sharper color changes.
In an industry setting, sodium hydroxide is produced in large quantities as it is a cheap and strong base, primarily generated through the chlor-alkali process involving electrolysis of sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions.