Final answer:
0.0100 M HCl is more acidic than 0.0100 M NaOH because HCl is a strong acid that completely dissociates to release hydrogen ions, resulting in a lower pH compared to the strong base NaOH which releases hydroxide ions.
Step-by-step explanation:
When comparing 0.0100 M HCl and 0.0100 M NaOH, without doing any calculations, we can determine that HCl (hydrochloric acid) is more acidic than NaOH (sodium hydroxide).
HCl is a strong acid that completely dissociates in water to release hydrogen ions (H+), which are responsible for the acidic properties of a solution. In contrast, NaOH is a strong base that completely dissociates in water to release hydroxide ions (OH−), which have basic or alkaline properties. Hence, a solution of HCl at the same concentration as a NaOH solution will be more acidic because the concentration of hydrogen ions directly corresponds to the solution's acidity.
The pH scale is used to measure the acidity or basicity of a solution, with lower pH values indicating higher acidity and higher pH values indicating higher basicity. Since the concentration of HCl is equal to the concentration of hydronium ions (H3O+) in the solution, the pH of the 0.010 M HCl would be lower than the pH of the 0.010 M NaOH solution.