When sodium acetate is dissolved in water, the result is:
A) A neutral aqueous solution
B) A basic aqueous solution
C) An acidic aqueous solution
D) An alcoholic solution
E) No solution is formed because it does not dissolve
IMAT 2026 · Question 38
Q38 - Hydrolysis
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The correct answer is B) A basic aqueous solution.
Sodium acetate (CH₃COONa) comes from acetic acid (weak) and NaOH (strong). The acetate ion is the conjugate base of a weak acid, so it takes H⁺ from water and releases OH⁻:
CH₃COO⁻ + H₂O ⇌ CH₃COOH + OH⁻
The extra OH⁻ makes the solution basic.
A) Incorrect: A neutral solution comes from a strong acid and a strong base, such as NaBr.
B) Correct: Acetate hydrolysis releases OH⁻, so the solution is basic.
C) Incorrect: An acidic solution comes from a weak base and a strong acid, such as NH₄Cl.
D) Incorrect: The solvent is water, and acetate is not an alcohol.
E) Incorrect: Sodium acetate is very soluble in water, like almost all sodium salts.
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