Which statement best explains why exactly three moles of NaOH are required to…
CHEMISTRY · Single correct · AP · Chemistry · Acids and Bases · Acids and Bases
Problem
Which statement best explains why exactly three moles of NaOH are required to completely neutralize one mole of H3PO4 in aqueous solution?
(a) To supply the three Na+ ions required to form the salt Na3PO4, three moles of NaOH must react.
(b) Because H3PO4 is a weak acid, additional hydroxide is necessary to drive each deprotonation step to completion, so three moles of base are required.
(c) Each H3PO4 molecule can donate three protons sequentially, so three equivalents of hydroxide are needed for full neutralization.
(d) Since the balanced equation for neutralization produces three water molecules per acid molecule, the coefficient in front of NaOH must also be three.