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Dictionary definition: sodium hydroxide
- Article from:
- A Dictionary of Chemistry
Copyright© A Dictionary of Chemistry 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information)
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sodium hydroxide (
caustic soda
)
A white transluscent deliquescent solid, NaOH, soluble in water and ethanol but insoluble in ether; r.d. 2.13; m.p. 318°C; b.p. 1390°C. Hydrates containing 7, 5, 4, 3.5, 3, 2, and 1 molecule of water are known.
Sodium hydroxide was formerly made by the treatment of sodium carbonate with lime but its main source today is from the electrolysis of brine using mercury cells or any of a variety of diaphragm cells. The principal product demanded from these cells is chlorine ...