Question

Provide a complete mechanism for the following reaction. Show electron motion using curved arrows. Show all relevant bonds, atoms, charges, and lone pairs. Do not skip or combine steps.

NaOH(aq) at 70°C

Answer 1

The question's provided equation seems incorrect, as NaCl does not typically react with water to form NaOH and chlorine gas. The dissolution of NaOH in water can be represented by a complete ionic equation showing the disassociation of NaOH into Na+ and OH- ions, both for the complete and net ionic equations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The original equation provided in the question seems to describe a disproportionation reaction where chlorine is both oxidized and reduced. However, it's important to note that NaCl does not normally react with water to produce NaOH and chlorine gas at 70°C.

Instead, NaCl is simply dissolved into its constituent ions. The equation provided in the question appears to be incorrect, or it may refer to a chlor-alkali process that requires the presence of an electrolytic cell, not just the addition of NaOH.

For the dissolution of NaOH into water, we can write the following balanced molecular equation:

NaOH(s) → Na+(aq) + OH-(aq)

The complete ionic equation for the dissolution of sodium hydroxide reflects that NaOH is a strong base and disassociates almost completely into Na+ and OH- ions in solution:

Complete ionic equation:

NaOH(s) → Na+ (aq) + OH- (aq)

The net ionic equation would be the same since there are no spectator ions in this process:

Net ionic equation:

NaOH(s) → Na+ (aq) + OH- (aq)