Final answer:
To calculate the pH of a 6.71 x 10⁻² M NaOH solution, you find the concentration of hydroxide ions to be the same as that of NaOH, calculate the pOH by taking the negative logarithm of the hydroxide ion concentration, and subtract this pOH from 14 to get the pH.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the pH of a 6.71 × 10⁻² M NaOH solution, we must first understand that sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is a strong base, so it completely dissociates in water to produce hydroxide ions (OH⁻) at a concentration equal to that of the original NaOH solution. The concentration of hydroxide ions in the solution will be 6.71 × 10⁻² M.
Next, we calculate the pOH by taking the negative logarithm (base 10) of the hydroxide ion concentration:
pOH = −log[OH⁻] = −log(6.71 × 10⁻²)
The pOH is then subtracted from 14 to get the pH of the solution:
pH = 14.00 − pOH
Substitute the pOH value calculated above into this formula to obtain the pH of the NaOH solution.