Sciencemadness Discussion Board

preparing sodium hydroxide without electrolysis

Vikascoder - 11-3-2012 at 04:19

thanks for giving your precious time to this topic . i want to make sodium hydroxide without electrolysis of sodium chloride. will you please tell me some ways to make sodium hydroxide .

Hexavalent - 11-3-2012 at 04:33

For god's sake, read some literature before posting. Try limewater and sodium carbonate if you are desperate.

TBH, NaOH is one of the cheapest chemicals available to a home lab . . .if I were you, I'd just buy it.

Adas - 11-3-2012 at 04:45

Buy it, it is sold as drain cleaner.

Bhaskar - 11-3-2012 at 10:16

Or...
1)react sodium metal with water by adding small amounts to it.
2)some displacement reactions from readily available chemicals owe to it's synthesis.
3)if none of the above can be done, extract lithium from energizer batteries, and react it with water to obtain its hydroxide. Then displace it with salt or sodium chloride to form sodium hydroxide and lithium chloride, then boil the mix to half concentration and cool it to percepitite lithium chloride, leaving sodium hydroxide behind in sol. BTW, this method was just an idea and using it would be impractical.
This should be in beginnings...

Moderators, do your job. :cool:

[Edited on 06-10-2011 by Bhaskar]

[Edited on 06-10-2011 by Bhaskar]

Vikascoder - 12-3-2012 at 21:05

I like to prepare it from lithium hydroxide. Bhaskar can you tell me some displacement reaction which leads to its synthesis except which uses sodium carbonate.

Bhaskar - 12-3-2012 at 21:44

let's see,
AgOH + NaCl = NaOH + AgCl...but I don't see a synthesis to silver hydroxide if you don't have it.

KOH + NaCl = NaOH + KCl...which could be difficult to isolate.

You can buy it at kundli market.

Vikascoder - 13-3-2012 at 03:53

what about calcium hydroxide.

Bhaskar - 13-3-2012 at 05:51

You can react Ca(OH)2 with more reactive metallic salts such as sodium, barium, lithium, strontium, etc.
Please note that any anion can be used, such as chloride, nitrate, hydroxide, sulfate, sulfide.
I also remember that the hydrolysis of sodium sulfide can form it's hydroxide-

Na2S + H20 = NaHS + NaOH

Vikascoder - 13-3-2012 at 07:05

ca(oh)2+NaCl=?
will it work

ScienceSquirrel - 13-3-2012 at 08:35

Sodium carbonate is readily available as washing soda, etc everywhere or can be made by heating sodium bicarbonate.
Calcium hydroxide is readily available for treating marine aquariums, for making mortar as hydrated lime for gardens, etc.
Mixing their solutions makes sodium hydroxide and calcium carbonate.

Vikascoder - 13-3-2012 at 08:47

I am not making sodium hydroxide but preparing a project on various methods to prepare it i know this process already which uses sodium carbonate and calcium hydroxide. I am looking for more process to make it

Hexavalent - 13-3-2012 at 08:48

Vikascoder . . .why do you need all these processes?

SS - That's what I bloody suggested!

ScienceSquirrel - 13-3-2012 at 08:55

Quote: Originally posted by Hexavalent  
Vikascoder . . .why do you need all these processes?

SS - That's what I bloody suggested!


I know.
But it pains me watching them thrash around trying to invent ever more exotic ways to make a readily available commodity chemical.

Vikascoder - 13-3-2012 at 09:07

I know sodium hydroxide is most easily available chemical . For making soaps , for drain opening but i just want to know various ways. I hope i am not irritating if i am then please forgive me.

bbartlog - 13-3-2012 at 09:51

Quote: Originally posted by Vikascoder  
ca(oh)2+NaCl=?
will it work


No. The best (and possibly only) way to do it with Ca(OH)2, which was used commercially into the 19th century, is Ca(OH)2 (aqueous slurry) + Na2CO3 -> CaCO3 + 2NaOH. This works because CaCO3 is extremely insoluble, but has to be carried out in fairly dilute solution. Google Books or Hathitrust has lots of old public domain works that can provide more detailed instructions.

Bhaskar - 13-3-2012 at 20:04

Quote: Originally posted by bbartlog  
Quote: Originally posted by Vikascoder  
ca(oh)2+NaCl=?
will it work


No. The best (and possibly only) way to do it with Ca(OH)2, which was used commercially into the 19th century, is Ca(OH)2 (aqueous slurry) + Na2CO3 -> CaCO3 + 2NaOH. This works because CaCO3 is extremely insoluble, but has to be carried out in fairly dilute solution. Google Books or Hathitrust has lots of old public domain works that can provide more detailed instructions.

Ooooooops!! :mad:

Vikascoder - 14-3-2012 at 00:48

u have to pay for this book first and you would not like to buy books only for one small topic

phlogiston - 14-3-2012 at 06:24

But then do you count 'metathesis reactions' as one possibility, or do you need every possible variation?

Ca(OH)2 + Na2CO3 --> CaCO3 + 2NaOH

has been mentioned now, but

Ca(OH)2 + Na2SO4 --> CaSO4 + 2NaOH

will work in principle, as will

3Ca(OH)2 + 2Na3PO4 --> Ca3(PO4)2 + 6NaOH

And then every variation of the above using barium, or ... etc. etc.
See my point?

Vikascoder - 14-3-2012 at 08:14

Phlogiston thanks a lot seriously i was searching for this answer . I had forgot about sodium sulphate and calcium hydroxide this type of process i was looking for. Thank you phlagiston .