sodium hydroxide
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Sodium Hydroxide
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - Sodium Hydroxide
- Tennessee Department of Health - Sodium Hydroxide
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubChem - Sodium Hydroxide
- Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety - Sodium Hydroxide
sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a corrosive white crystalline solid that contains the Na+ (sodium) cation and the OH− (hydroxide) anion. It readily absorbs moisture until it dissolves. Sodium hydroxide is the most widely used industrial alkali and is often used in drain and oven cleaners. It is highly corrosive to animal and vegetable tissue. The alkaline solutions it forms when dissolved in water neutralize acids in various commercial processes. In petroleum refining, it removes sulfuric and organic acids. In soapmaking, it acts on natural fats or oils, such as tallow or vegetable oil, to produce sodium fatty acid salt (soap) and glycerin (or glycerol); this saponification reaction is the basis for all soapmaking. In papermaking, sodium hydroxide is used to break down wood into pulp. Solutions of NaOH are used in the treatment of cellulose and in the manufacture of many chemicals.